Pharmacy students need more career-aligned professional education: A cross-sectional study at a Chinese university
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2026.261.183194Keywords:
Employment, Pharmacy student, Professional education, UndergraduateAbstract
Background: The growing concern in China about the mismatch between pharmacy graduates' employment and their specialised training prompted this study, which investigated undergraduate pharmacy students' perceptions of employment. It focused on their views of the profession, self-awareness, and career outlook, while exploring links between education and employment to suggest potential adjustments to pharmacy education.
Methods: A 23-item questionnaire evaluated undergraduate pharmacy students' perceptions of employment in three areas: profession, self-perception, and career awareness. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among first- to fourth-year students, using convenience sampling and distributing the questionnaire online and offline. Data were analysed using SPSS 26.0 to assess the alignment between professional education and employment readiness, as well as students’ desire for career-oriented education in their curriculum.
Results: Of the 520 distributed questionnaires, 473 were valid, resulting in a response rate of 90.96%. Initial findings showed that students need to improve their knowledge of the profession, self-awareness, and career insight. Over 80% were open to including career planning in their curriculum. Statistically significant differences in employment-related perceptions were observed across academic years, though the effect sizes were small.
Conclusion: Undergraduate pharmacy education should better align with career demands, providing a foundation for future research on how to align education with students' career development needs.
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