Career Choices and Preferences of Saudi Pharmacy Undergraduates: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the increasing number of pharmacy schools and their graduates, the healthcare workforce shortage has increased in Saudi Arabia’s pharmacy sector, especially with the opening of new retail pharmacies, industries and pharmaceutical companies, which means that more pharmacist positions have been created with expanded working hours. However, very limited data are available regarding the views and preferences of pharmacy students regarding their future job choices in Saudi Arabia, which may create concerns for licensing organizations, employers and institutions and also gaps between what students want and the vacancies for pharmacists. Therefore, this study aims to identify pharmacy students’ career choices and examine the factors that influence their choices across different pharmacy schools in Saudi via a cross-sectional survey.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out of undergraduates at all education levels at different colleges of pharmacy across Saudi Arabia from October 2017 to March 2018. The questionnaire gathered students’ characteristics and covered the importance of general job considerations for students, their choices and the factors influencing their future career choices and finally the students’ opinions regarding different work settings. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).ResultsHospital pharmacies were the preferred area of practice (n = 212: 51.6%), followed by academia and research centres (n = 102: 24.8%), while the pharmaceutical industry and community pharmacies were the least preferred, at 7% and 2%, respectively. Based on the respondents’ characteristics and preferred future career, a multivariate logistic regression revealed that the pharmD students were 4 times more likely to prefer hospital pharmacy posts (odds ratio (OR) = 4.554, p = 0.033) compared with the B-pharm students. Among the factors that influenced the students’ choices were personal interest, in addition to training experience and organizational reputation. The most important job considerations, according to the students, was moving up the job ladder (n = 346; 84.2%), and job openings in a certain field (n = 341; 83%). The Kruskal-Wallis test for nonparametric ordinal data declared detected several significant differences among different pharmacy settings for each item measuring the pharmD and B-pharm students' attitudes and opinions.ConclusionBy identifying these gaps and pharmacy students' goals and needs, we aim to draw the government’s attention to these to ensure a future balance between supply and demand and effective pharmacy workforce planning, which is mandatory.

Assessing factors influencing pharmacy interns career choices in Saudi Arabia

“…( Bin Saleh et al, 2015 ) This is also similar to findings from a study that took place in the United States where work environment was the most important job consideration for students when choosing a career. ( Savage et al, 2009 ) In contrast, Alhomoud et al (2019) , found that advancement in the profession, job openings in a certain field, and salary were the three most important factors that influence the students’ selection of future job. ( Alhomoud et al, 2019 ) In addition, a study by Savage et al (2009) , found that salary and advancement opportunities were the two least important job considerations on students’ career choices.…”

“…( Savage et al, 2009 ) In contrast, Alhomoud et al (2019) , found that advancement in the profession, job openings in a certain field, and salary were the three most important factors that influence the students’ selection of future job. ( Alhomoud et al, 2019 ) In addition, a study by Savage et al (2009) , found that salary and advancement opportunities were the two least important job considerations on students’ career choices. ( Savage et al, 2009 )…”

“…The preferred career goals were pharmacy industry and clinical pharmacy, which are different from findings of other studies. Alhomoud et al (2019) surveyed undergraduate pharmacy students at various Colleges of Pharmacy in SA and found that hospital pharmacy was the preferred career goal in half of the students, followed by academia and research. Pharmaceutical industry and community pharmacy were the least preferred career goals.…”

“…( Bin Saleh et al, 2015 ) Another study conducted in SA concluded that there is a lack of interest in working in community pharmacies and that decision might be influenced by financial incentives and cultural and societal perception towards working in such setting. ( Alhomoud et al, 2019 ) More recently, a study was published looking at pharmacy students’ future career preferences indicated that Saudi students preferred working at hospitals, followed by academia, and research centers respectively. Pharmaceutical industry and community pharmacies were the least preferred.…”

Factors influencing choice of career: A comparative study among medical, dental and pharmacy students in a private university in Malaysia

“…'Economic status' and 'Personal background' influence the career choices of both medical and pharmacy students (Lefevre et al, 2010;Alhomoud et al, 2019). Research has shown that people tend to adjust their behaviour and decision-making in an adaptive way, according to environmental circumstances, and decide on career choices that involve lower investment (Hill et al, 2008;Gigerenzer & Goldstein, 2011).…”