Motivations of MPharm students in the United Kingdom to study pharmacy at a time of change
Keywords:
Education, Fees, MPharm, Pharmacy, Student, University, United KingdomAbstract
Background: In the United Kingdom (UK), pharmacy student numbers are increasing as the number of pharmacy schools increases. This is likely to have a negative impact on employment opportunities at a time when new entrants to UK pharmacy schools are paying dramatically increased tuition fees. Moreover, proposed changes to the Master of Pharmacy (MPham) programme, with pre-registration training integrated into undergraduate education has profound implications for the future student experience.Aims: To identify the main factors which influenced the decision of current students at one UK school of pharmacy to study pharmacy, and those factors which would have impacted on that decision if faced with pay tuition fees of £9,000 ($14,700). Also, the study aimed to gather students’ opinions on the impact of increased fees on the number of pharmacy applicants, and whether their preference is for a four-year MPharm course or a five-year integrated programme.
Method: Questionnaires were distributed to pharmacy students of all four years at the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston, UK; in the academic year 2011/2012.
Results: A response rate of 88.6% (n=133) to the questionnaires was achieved. The main factor influencing pharmacy students’ decision to study pharmacy was their interest in pharmacy, though they believed if they had to pay increased tuition fees, then the financial rewards of a pharmacy career would be most important. Fifty- seven percent (n=76) of the students felt the number of students applying for pharmacy would decrease as a result of the rise in the tuition fees, whilst 71% (n=95) preferred the current four + one MPharm course structure rather than the proposed five- year integrated course.
Conclusion: Reasons for studying pharmacy were multi-factorial. However, with increased tuition fees, financial considerations were considered a greater motivator, potentially conflicting with the traditional core values of pharmacy, namely service- orientation and altruism. The proposed integrated five-year MPharm is not yet defined, but appeals less than the present structure to current students. Changes to the degree programmes and higher tuition fees may potentially impact negatively on future applications to study pharmacy.
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