Preparatory Year Students' Perception of Pharmacy Profession as a Career Choice: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract The study attempted to assess preparatory year students' perception towards pharmacists and the pharmacy profession. This cross-sectional survey was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020. The students were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire via Google Forms®. In total, 244 students, of which 53.7% were female with the mean age of 19.2 ± 0.65, from 12 universities participated in this study. As per our findings, the majority of the respondents (91.8%) regard pharmacy as a well-respected profession, 82.4% thought pharmacists are important decision-makers, 68.4% disagreed that most pharmacists were unkind, and 60.7% did not agree that pharmacy was a low-status occupation. Meanwhile, 95.5% agreed that pharmacists must have a university degree, 88.6% agreed pharmacists must take responsibility for patients, and 82.8% believed pharmacists had to work too hard. Moreover, 62.3% did not think pharmacy was a low-skill occupation, 54.9% did not agree pharmacists must do unpleasant things, and 45.1% disagreed pharmacists only did what physicians requested of them. Lastly, 48.8% had low confidence in choosing pharmacy as a career. The students' overall perception toward pharmacists and the pharmacy profession was favorable. However, only one-fourth of the students displayed a tendency to choose pharmacy as a future career.

Pharmacists' understanding and attitudes towards pharmaceutical care in Saudi Arabia

The questionnaire was designed to determine both institutional [hospitals and healthcare centers] and community pharmacists' underst and ing, attitudes and barriers that limit provision of pharmaceutical care. Five hundred fifty institutional pharmacists and 250 community pharmacists were included in the survey. Data were collected via face-to-face encounter using piloted questionnaire. The total response numbered 375, which constitute a 71.6% response rate from community pharmacists and 35.6% from institutional pharmacists. More than 70% of the pharmacists surveyed had also favorable underst and ing of pharmaceutical care. The respondents showed positive attitudes towards pharmaceutical care. Approximately more than 89% of respondents felt the future of pharmacy would depend on the provision of professional services other than dispensing. The main barriers perceived by the pharmacist were lack of adequate training in pharmaceutical care practice, lack of work place for counseling, lack of staff, insufficient time, lack of patient dem and, lack of therapeutic knowledge, lack of support from owners. There were significant differences in responses to a number of issues recognized by male and females, age, years in practice and work setting. Pharmacists expressed general positive awareness and attitudes toward pharmaceutical care irrespective of practice settings. Several demographic factors including gender, years in experience and work setting were associated with awareness and attitudes toward pharmaceutical care. Pharmacists in Saudi Arabia indicated willingness but expressed major concern about their clinical knowledge, communication skills and pharmacy layout. This however makes implementation of pharmaceutical care logical. A joint collaboration between health authorities, colleges of pharmacy and medicine, pharmaceutical and medical societies is highly dem and ed for the promotion of pharmaceutical care in the country. Finally, training programs in pharmaceutical care practice should be available to the pharmacists