Attitudes of pharmacy graduates at the early career stage: A pilot survey at a private university in Japan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2023.231.6777Keywords:
Career change, Career choice, Job satisfaction, Future plan, Pharmacist, Work attitudeAbstract
Background: Pharmacy graduates’ attitudes toward their work at the early career stage, their career status, job satisfaction, and future plans have not been surveyed in Japan.
Methods: Postcards were sent to 514 pharmacy graduates from a University in Tokyo, Japan, asking graduates to answer an online cross-sectional questionnaire.
Results: Of the 86 respondents, 15% changed their jobs within three years, and the number of pharmacists working in the “community pharmacy” sector notably increased. Respondents working in non-pharmacy sectors were more satisfied with their jobs than those in the pharmacy sector. Furthermore, job satisfaction impacted the respondents’ future work plans, and the distribution of job satisfaction varied by current career sectors.
Conclusion: In response to the global social and economic situations, pharmacy education should consider various fields and skills. Career guidance should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum. Further studies on this case are required worldwide to prepare pharmacists for their future roles.
References
Ahmed, F. H., & Jumaa, A. K. (2020). Evaluation of career goals among Iraqi pharmacy students. European Journal of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, 7(10), 1456–1465
Al-Jumaili, A. A., Sherbeny, F., Elhiny, R., Hijazi, B., Elbarbry, F., Rahal, M., Bukhatwa, S., Khdour, M., Thomas, D., Khalifa, S., & Hamad, A. (2022). Exploring job satisfaction among pharmacy professionals in the Arab world: a multi-country study. The International journal of pharmacy practice, 30(2), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riac011
Al-Muallem, N., & Al-Surimi, K. M. (2019). Job satisfaction, work commitment and intention to leave among pharmacists: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 9(9), e024448. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024448
Alhemadey, H., Mousnad, M. A., Saeed, A. A., & Hamid, A. (2020). Sudanese pharmacy students: Career intentions, expectations and factors affecting their choices. Universal Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 5(6), 6–12. https://doi.org/10.22270/ujpr.v5i6.505
Alhomoud, F. K., AlGhalawin, L., AlGofari, G., AlDjani, W., Ameer, A., & Alhomoud, F. (2019). Career Choices and Preferences of Saudi Pharmacy Undergraduates: A Cross Sectional Study. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 27(4), 467–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2019.01.009
Almaghaslah, D., Alsayari, A., Almanasef, M., & Asiri, A. (2021). A cross-sectional study on pharmacy students’ career choices in the Light of Saudi Vision 2030: Will community pharmacy continue to be the most promising, but least preferred, sector? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(9), 4589. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094589
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). (2021). Graduating student survey 2021 national summary report. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.aacp.org/categories/graduating-student
Balkhi, B., Alghamdi, A., Alhossan, A., Alhamami, A., & Asiri, Y. A. (2020). Pharmacy students’ attitude and perception toward working in community pharmacy in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 28(4), 397–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2020.01.021
Bates, I., John, C., Seegobin, P., & Bruno, A. (2018). An analysis of the global pharmacy workforce capacity trends from 2006 to 2012. Human resources for health, 16(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-018-0267-y
Berassa, M. S., Chiro, T. A., & Fanta, S. (2021). Assessment of job satisfaction among pharmacy professionals. Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice, 14(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-021-00356-1
Butt, M. H., Misbah, S., Ahmad, A., Mehboob, T., & Bashir, I. (2021). Quantifying satisfaction among pharmacists working in Pharmaceutical Sales or Marketing and its inferential relationship with demographics: A cross-sectional analysis in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 37(2), 450–455. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.2.3447
Council on Pharmaceutical Education (CPE). (2022). Employment status of new pharmacy graduates. Retrieved June 4, 2022 from https://yaku-kyou.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/9331f270f592646afce1cceab60360d4.pdf
Carvajal, M. J., & Popovici, I. (2018). Gender, age, and pharmacists’ job satisfaction. Pharmacy Practice, 16(4), 1396. https://doi.org/10.18549/PharmPract.2018.04.1396
DiPiro, J. T. (2011). Preparing our students for the many opportunities in pharmacy. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 75(9), 170. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe759170
Gaither, C. A., Schommer, J. C., Doucette, W. R., Kreling, D. H., & Mott, D. A. (2014). National pharmacist workforce survey: Executive summary of the final report of the 2014 national sample survey of the pharmacist workforce to determine contemporary demographic practice characteristics and quality of work-life. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.aacp.org/sites/default/files/executivesummaryfromthenationalpharmacistworkforcestudy2014.pdf
Gaither, C. A., Schommer, J. C., Doucette, W. R., Kreling, D. H., & Mott, D. A. (2015). National pharmacist workforce survey: Final report of the 2014 national sample survey of the pharmacist workforce to determine contemporary demographic practice characteristics and quality of work-life. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://www.aacp.org/sites/default/files/finalreportofthenationalpharmacistworkforcestudy2014.pdf
Guillot, P., & Fung, S. M. (2010). Pharmaceutical medical information contact centers: Results of three benchmarking surveys. Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, 44, 569–579. https://doi.org/10.1177/009286151004400504
Hanna, L. A., Askin, F., & Hall, M. (2016). First-Year Pharmacy Students' Views on Their Chosen Professional Career. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 80(9), 150. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe809150
Hartman, R., Blustein, L., Morel, D., & Davis, L. (2014). A pharmaceutical industry elective course on practice experience selection and fellowship pursuit by pharmacy students. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 78(6), 126. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe786126
Hashimi, A., Malik, M., & Hussain, A. (2016). Work-life balance and its impact on job satisfaction among pharmacists: A literature review. IMPACT: International Journal of Research in Applied, Natural and Social Sciences, 4(1), 29–36
Ibrahim, I. R., Ibrahim, M. I., Majeed, I. A., & Alkhafaje, Z. (2021). Assessment of job satisfaction among community pharmacists in Baghdad, Iraq: a cross-sectional study. Pharmacy practice, 19(1), 2190. https://doi.org/10.18549/PharmPract.2021.1.2190
Ibrahim, N. F. D., Hatah, E., Aziz, S. A. A., Hisham, S. A., Ngadimon, I. W., Farukh, M. J., et al. (2022). Explaining influence behind career choices of Malaysia’s pharmacy students. Pharmacy Education, 22(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2022.221.19
Jacob, B., & Peasah, S. K. (2019). An elective course for student pharmacists on pharmaceutical industry practice. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 83(8), 7037. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7037
Lebovitz, L., & Rudolph, M. (2020). Update on pharmacist workforce data and thoughts on how to manage the oversupply. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 84(10), ajpe7889. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7889
Mattsson, S., & Gustafsson, M. (2020). Job Satisfaction among Swedish Pharmacists. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 8(3), 127. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8030127
Meilianti, S., Matuluko, A., Ibrahima, N., Uzmanb, N., & Bates, I. (2022). A global study on job and career satisfaction of early-career pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, 5, 100110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100110
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT). (2021). Distributed documents at official meeting. Retrieved July 5, 2022 from https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20211224-mxt_igaku-000019731_15.pdf
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW). (2018). Physician, dentist, and pharmacists survey 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2021 from https://www.mhlw.go.jp/toukei/saikin/hw/ishi/18/dl/kekka-3.pdf
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW). (2021). Turnover survey of new graduates. Retrieved December 1, 2021 from https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/houdou/0000177553_00004.html
Modipa, S. I., & Dambisya, Y. M. (2008). Profile and career preferences of pharmacy students at the University of Limpopo, Turfloop Campus, South Africa. Education for Health, 21(3), 164
Nakagomi, K., Hayashi, Y., & Komiyama, T. (2016). Survey of attitudes towards career choice among pharmacy students: A pilot study at a private university in Japan. Pharmacy Education, 16(1), 146–157. Retrieved November 18, 2017, from http://pharmacyeducation.fip.org/pharmacyeducation/article/view/394/401
Nakagomi, K., Hayashi, Y., & Komiyama, T. (2017). Cluster analysis of pharmacists' work attitudes. Journal of general and family medicine, 18(6), 341–353. https://doi.org/10.1002/jgf2.87
Nakagomi, K., Kameya, T., Fukai, K., Yamada, N., & Kanno, N. (2011). Survey of attitude toward work among pharmacists working in large chain community pharmacies in Japan. Iryo Yakugaku: Japanese Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences, 37(2), 97–103. https://doi.org/10.5649/jjphcs.37.97
Nakagomi, K., Takahashi, S., & Hayashi, Y. (2013). Survey of attitudes toward work among pharmacists working in large group hospitals. General Medicine, 14(1), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.14442/general.14.23
Nguyen C. (2020). The role of a pharmacist as a medical information specialist in the pharmaceutical industry. Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning, 12(2), 127–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2019.11.005
Nguyen-Thi, H. Y., Nguyen-Ngoc, T. T., Do-Tran, M. T., Do, D. V., Pham, L. D., & Le, N. (2021). Job satisfaction of clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmacy activities implemented at Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. PloS one, 16(1), e0245537. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245537
Saleh, Bin G. B., Rezk, N. L., Laika, L., Ali, A., & El-Metwally, A. (2015). Pharmacist, the pharmaceutical industry and pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia: A questionnaire-based study. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 23, 573–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsps.2015.02.019
Sansgiry, S. S., & Ngo, C. (2003). Factors affecting job satisfaction among hospital pharmacists. Hospital Pharmacy, 38(11), 1037-1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/001857870303801114
Schommer, J. C., Gaither, C. A., Doucette, W. R., Kreling, D. H., & Mott, D. A. (2018). Associations between Work Activity and Work Setting Categories and Dimensions of Pharmacists' Quality of Work Life. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 6(3), 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030062
Schommer, J. C., Sogol, E. M., & Brown, L. M. (2007). Career pathways for pharmacists. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 47(5), 563–564. https://doi.org/10.1331/JAPhA.2007.07074
Schommer, J. C., Sogol, E. M., & Brown, L. M. (2019). Work profile factors identified from the career pathway evaluation program, 2018 pharmacist profile survey. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 83(10), 7480. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe7480
Tan, A. W., Dwan, C. A., Ling, T. R., Thompson, A. J., & Peterson, G. M. (2022). Australian pharmacy student perceptions of employment in the pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 52(2), 124–131. https://doi.org/10.1002/jppr.1783
Ubaka, C. M., Ochie, U. M., & Adibe, M. O. (2013). Student pharmacists’ career choices: A survey of three Nigerian schools of pharmacy’ career choices. Pharmacy Practice, 11(3), 149–155. https://doi.org/10.4321/s1886-36552013000300005
Zhang, T., Li, L., & Bian, Y. (2020). Final-year pharmacy undergraduate students’ career intention and its influencing factors: A questionnaire study in northwest China. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 405. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02342-8
