Relationship between hospital pharmacists’ job satisfaction and involvement in clinical activities

Abstract

Job satisfaction among hospital pharmacists employed by a national hospital pharmacy management company was measured by using a mail questionnaire. A previously validated survey that measured pharmacists’ job satisfaction was adapted for use in this study. Additional questions determined the pharmacist’s clinical pharmacy training and participation in clinical pharmacy services. Questionnaires were mailed to all full-time hospital pharmacists employed by the pharmacy management company. Of the 606 mailed, deliverable questionnaires, 354 usable responses were returned, for a response rate of 58.4%. The respondent hospital pharmacists’ level of job satisfaction showed a positive association with clinical pharmacy involvement. Of the nine items in the questionnaire that measured the pharmacists’ involvement in clinical pharmacy services, seven items showed a positive relationship between involvement in that clinical activity and job satisfaction. Mean job satisfaction increased as the percentage of time spent performing clinical pharmacy activities increased. Job satisfaction decreased as time spent performing distributive functions increased. The percentage of time hospital pharmacists were engaged in clinical activities was significantly associated with job satisfaction.

Job Satisfaction Among Staff, Clinical, and Integrated Hospital Pharmacists

“…The results from this study are similar to those found by Olson and Lawson, 7 Kawabata et al, 8 and Cox and Fitzpatrick. 6 All results showed that job satisfaction was directly related to the number of clinical activities performed.…”

“…7,8 The tool most often used was developed by Barnett and Kimberlin (1986), 3 pharmacists' satisfaction with particular aspects of their work (a facet item) as well as their global job satisfaction without regard to any of these aspects (a facet-free item). In a study by Olson and Lawson (1996), 7 the relationship between hospital pharmacists' job satisfaction and involvement in clinical activities was explored by means of a questionnaire adapted from the Barnett and Kimberlin (1986) instrument. A significant but weak association (P < .001) was found between job satisfaction and the number of clinical activities reported.…”

“…Kawabata et al (1998) 8 studied the importance of clinical activities to Japanese hospital pharmacists' job satisfaction. They mailed a questionnaire that was modeled after that of Olson and Lawson (1996) 7 to assess satisfaction. The findings agreed with those of Olson and Lawson that the more clinical skills a pharmacist performed, and the more time he or she spent performing these skills, the greater his or her job satisfaction.…”

Use of blogs by pharmacists

“…Is it a reflection of a plunging job satisfaction rate in the community sector, or could this dissatisfaction reflect segments that are mired in distributive functions, while the profession undergoes growing pains of extending its clinical role? [27][28][29] Whether such blogs actually reflect the current state of practice anywhere is debatable, but it is certainly the picture painted if one reads many of the top blog posts. Recognizing that these types of outlets tend to disproportionately exhibit extreme views, it is still notable that so many pharmacist blogs represent unrest and are written with a combative voice.…”

Job satisfaction in hospital pharmacists

“…One report indicated that mean job satisfaction increased as the time spent performing clinical duties increased. 5 Another report indicated that there was a positive relationship between job satisfaction and perceived utilization of skills and adequate staffing. 6 A recent white paper from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy identified work-life balance and favorable work schedules as important motivators for clinical pharmacists.…”