Motivations and practice-area preferences of pharmacists interested in pursuing a Pharm.D. degree through a nontraditional program. Am J Health Syst Pharm 1998 Jun 15;55(12):1281-7
Date
06/26/1998Pubmed ID
9640468DOI
10.1093/ajhp/55.12.1281Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0032526442 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 7 CitationsAbstract
Pharmacists' interest in a proposed nontraditional Pharm.D. program, motivations for wanting to pursue a Pharm.D. degree, and practice-area preferences were surveyed. Questionnaires were mailed to 12,621 pharmacists in Illinois and Arizona. Information sought included current position and practice area, number of job and career changes, preferred practice area, and interest in enrolling in a proposed nontraditional Pharm.D. program described in a cover letter. For pharmacists indicating an interest, information was sought on motivations for wanting to pursue a Pharm.D. degree expected support from employers, and preferred practice areas after obtaining a Pharm.D. degree. The response rate was 28.8%. A total of 1119 respondents (31.9%) indicated that they would or probably would enroll in the proposed Pharm.D. program. These pharmacists gave improving their clinical skills and improving the quality of their work as reasons for wanting to enroll, and half indicated that their current practice area would be their preferred area after they completed a Pharm.D. degree. Almost three quarters (72%) of hospital pharmacists; more than 60% of home health care or consultant independent, and managed care pharmacists; and 21% of pharmacists in chain pharmacies stated a preference to stay in their current practice area after obtaining a Pharm.D. degree. Eight variables were useful in predicting whether respondents would prefer to remain in their current practice area, including tuition assistance or reimbursement from employers, satisfaction with current position, and number of years in current position. Respondents who were interested in pursuing a Pharm.D. degree through the nontraditional program described to them were motivated by a desire to improve their clinical skills and the quality of their work and the opportunity to open doors to new careers.
Author List
Zgarrick DP, MacKinnon GE 3rdAuthor
George MacKinnon PhD Founding Dean, Professor in the School of Pharmacy Administration department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAnalysis of Variance
Arizona
Career Choice
Chi-Square Distribution
Education, Pharmacy, Graduate
Female
Humans
Illinois
Job Satisfaction
Male
Middle Aged
Motivation
Pharmacists
Professional Practice Location
Surveys and Questionnaires
