Who enrols and graduates from web-based pharmacy education – Experiences from Northern Sweden

Abstract

Introduction: As a response to the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden, a web-based Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program was introduced at Umeå University in 2003. This study explored who is likely to enrol and graduate from the web-based bachelor program and whether the program has addressed the shortage of prescriptionists in rural Northern Sweden. Methods: Data from three different sources were included in this study; the initial cohort including students admitted to the program in 2003 (survey), the entire cohort including all people admitted to the program between 2003 and 2014 (university's admissions data) and the alumni cohort including graduates who participated in an alumni survey in 2015. Results: A typical student of the web-based pharmacy program is female, over 30 years of age, married or in a de-facto relationship and has children. Furthermore, the students graduating before 2009 were more likely to live in Northern Sweden compared to those graduating later. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate that the introduction of a web-based bachelor of pharmacy program at Umeå University was to some extent able to address the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden. Web-based education may potentially help address the maldistribution of health professionals by providing flexible education opportunities.

Swedish Pharmacy Students’ Expectations and Perceptions of Their Education and Future Pharmacy Profession

“…A recent study showed that the average age of students upon admission to a pharmacy program in Canada between 2002 and 2015 was 21.7 years [19]. The results in the present study are in agreement with previous studies reporting that students enrolled in web-based education are older than students enrolled in campus-based education [1][2][3]7]. The age structure was somewhat different between the groups admitted in 2017.…”

“…The students in 2017 were younger, and fewer students had dependent children compared to 2003. In a previous study analyzing the change in age at enrolment between 2003 and 2011, the average age at admission was 32 years, and it varied between 30 and 33 years during the period [7]. Apparently, the students admitted in 2017 were younger than before.…”

“…Indeed, flexibility is often stated as one major reason for choosing a web-based format [2]. Web-based education might, among other initiatives, also help address the uneven distribution of health-care professionals by offering flexible education opportunities [7]. An uneven distribution of health-care professionals e.g., doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, leads to a shortage of these professions in, for example, rural areas.…”

“…In 2003, the Bachelor of Science of Pharmacy program was introduced at Umeå University, and this was the first web-based pharmacy program in Sweden. The program was introduced as a response to the observed shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden [7]. A web-based approach was chosen in order to attract eligible students in rural areas as well as to achieve equity in terms of allowing different groups to commence higher education.…”

Job Satisfaction among Swedish Pharmacists

“…The median age of graduates in Sweden is 26.9 years (2018/2019) [ 22 ]. Compared to this and also to pharmacy graduates at other universities in Sweden, graduates from Umeå University are older, which is likely due to the web-based format of education [ 23 ]. A majority of the graduating pharmacists were female, and this is consistent with the pharmacy student population and the workforce of pharmacists in Sweden as well as in other countries [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”