The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure

Objectives. To identify pharmacy students' short- and long-term career goals, including projected areas of practice, and evaluate the factors that influence these goals. Methods. A 19-question surv...

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Factors that influence the career goals of pharmacy students.

Objective. To assess the prevalence of curricular programs or other structured activities designed to prepare students for and to promote residency training. Methods. An electronic survey instrumen...

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Survey of colleges of pharmacy to assess preparation for and promotion of residency training.

http://archive.ajpe.org/aj7403/aj740343/aj740343.pdf

RESEARCH ARTICLES Survey of Colleges of Pharmacy to Assess Preparation for and Promotion of Residency Training

Background: There is little data on the preferences of pharmacy students as regards their future pharmacy job choices in Africa and this has created concerns amongst licensing bodies, employers and also the institutions they graduate from. Objectives: Career choices and factors that influence these choices of pre-registration pharmacists were assessed. Methods: Final and fourth year students from three schools of pharmacy were approached with a previously validated and employed questionnaire comprising questions on future job choices and reasons for that job choice. Data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis. Results: Four hundred and eighty eight students took part in the study (response rate 71.5%). Majority (78.8%) was younger than 26 years and had a work experience (68.2%). Job flexibility was significantly more important to females, while younger students considered salary most important (p<0.05). Hospital and community practice were most preferred career choices. Other demographic factors (especially gender, marital status, previous degree and previous work experience) significantly affected career choices. Conclusion: Age, gender, and previous work experience affect career choices of graduating pharmacy students. Patient-oriented practices (e.g. hospital and community) remain the most preferred careers.

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Student pharmacists' career choices: a survey of three Nigerian schools of pharmacy

Purpose. The influence of faculty-mediated interventions on the pursuit of postgraduate training (PGT) by pharmacy students was studied.

Methods. Three weeks before graduation, members of the class of 2005 (control group) at a Florida pharmacy school completed a questionnaire assessing their understanding of PGT opportunities. Members of the class of 2006 (intervention group) were exposed to faculty-mediated interventions during their final academic year of pharmacy school. The interventions consisted of informational pamphlets, a PGT booth during the school’s career day, and PGT-related dinner programs. These students were surveyed before and after the interventions.

Results. Seventy-three percent (120/165) of control-group students and 63% (132/211) of intervention-group students completed the survey. Of the control students, 14% (15/108) reported plans to enter PGT after graduation. Sixteen percent (21/132) of intervention-group students reported such plans; the difference was not significant. All faculty-mediated interventions were reported to be helpful to students in making their postgraduation plans. Analysis of the combined groups suggested that students’ interaction with faculty and residents during advance practice experiences positively affected pursuit of PGT.

Conclusion. Students who received faculty- mediated interventions designed to inform them about PGT were not significantly more likely to pursue such training than students who did not receive the interventions. However, students reported the information to be helpful.

Effect of faculty-mediated interventions on pharmacy students’ pursuit of postgraduate training

The white coat has symbolized professionalism, while representing provider-patient fiduciary relationship. Although well described in the literature for physicians, few studies examine the impact of pharmacist attire on patients' opinions regarding professionalism and trust. Therefore, understanding patient perceptions regarding pharmacist's attire and its influence on comfort, confidence, trust, and professionalism may provide guidance on ways to enhance the quality of the provider-patient relationship. A 43-item Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 347 adults in a community pharmacy setting to determine preferences about the pharmacist's attire, accessories, and body art incorporating 8 photographs depicting a male pharmacist in various degrees of dress formality (ie, casual to professional). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize and analyze the data. Survey respondents reported it was desirable/strongly desirable that pharmacists be dressed in a shirt and tie, dress shoes, white coat, and name tag (mean 4.21-4.72), whereas they should not be dressed in jeans, casual shoes, or have visible body art (mean 2.17-2.78). Over 86% of the respondents felt that a pharmacist with a white coat instilled feelings of comfort, confidence, trust, and professionalism. In a community pharmacy setting, a pharmacist wearing a white coat appears to be the mainstay in displaying professionalism and inspiring trust in adult patients.

Cherylyn Beckey

Papers

Effect of faculty-mediated interventions on pharmacy students’ pursuit of postgraduate training

Patient attitudes toward community pharmacist attire.