A Career in Pharmacy: a new approach to measuring the motivations of pharmacy students'

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A Career in Pharmacy a new approach to measuring
the motivations of pharmacy students.

• ASTON PHARMACY SCHOOL
• Keith Wilson, Chris Langley, and Katie Hatfield.
• ASTON BUSINESS SCHOOL
• Jill Jesson
• ASTON UNIVERSITY,
• BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAN

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The project

• Funded by the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust,
  Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
• Carried out during 2004/2005.
• Aim
• To establish a baseline of the career
  aspirations, motivations and expectations of
  students within undergraduate pharmacy education
  in the UK.

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CONTEXT The Rapidly Changing Nature of UK
Pharmacy

• Modernisation and new roles prescribing and
  medication review, clinical services.
• Regulatory changes technician registration new
  roles for the wider pharmacy workforce.
• Continued commercialisation the move to
  corporate pharmacy.
• Fit for the Future the educational debate
  within pharmacy.

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Pluralist methodology design

• A review of statistics on pharmacy entry in the
  UK from the Universities and Colleges Admissions
  Service (UCAS).
• A survey of all students on the first and final
  years of UK pharmacy degree programmes by
  self-completion questionnaire.

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Some Definitions

• Motivation the reason for a certain course of
  action whether conscious or unconscious.
• Career a profession or occupation chosen as
  ones life work. Not just a job.
• Many metaphors around concept of career career
  path as a metaphor for journey, career
  commitment for career as role. An
  epistemological ragbag Inkson.

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Career Choice

• Rational Choice Theory selection of the option
  with the highest utility.
• Human Capital Theory a dimension of rational
  choice based on economic advantage to the
  individual.
• Bounded Rationality constraints such as family,
  friends, imperfect information.
• Work-life Balance.
• Preference Theory (Hakim).

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Preference Theory

• Offers an explanation for the position of women
  in the labour market.
• Argues that main determinant of womens
  heterogeneous employment patterns is their
  preference for family work and paid employment.
• One of the factors that may bound rational choice
  for women.

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Survey of MPharm Students

• 1163 completed questionnaires were received from
  a sample of 3306 first and final year students in
  13 schools of pharmacy a return rate of 35.2.
• To avoid complexity we divided the influences
  into three themes
• education related (8)
• personal influences (6)
• personal career goals (15)

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Survey questionsan example
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Education Related Influences
1st year
4th year
40
30
20
10
0
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
importance
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50
-60
Statement
Importance of education related reasons why
people choose to study pharmacy. Results are
shown as the difference between the of
respondents who rated as important and the who
rated as not-important.
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Personal Influences
1st year
4th year
30
20
10
0
a
b
c
d
e
f
-10
importance
-20
-30
-40
-50
-60
Statement
Importance of personal reasons why people choose
to study pharmacy. Results are shown as the
difference between the of respondents who rated
as important and the who rated as not-important.
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Career Related Influences
Science
Career
4th year
1st year
100
80
60
importance
40
20
0
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
I
j
k
l
m
n
o
-20
-40
Statement
Career aspects as influences on decision to study
pharmacy. Results are shown as the difference
between the of respondents who rated as
important and the who rated as not-important.
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Key results - Extrinsic factors

• Students were most influenced by
• The university marketing,
• The university prospectus and
• The open day visit.
• The study confirms many previous reports on the
  importance of parents in the choice of career
  study. This was one of only two personal factors
  that showed a net influence upon student choice.

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Work Experience

• The strongest pharmacy related extrinsic
  influence on motivation in this section.
• But limited is there a need for more employer
  opportunities prior to application?

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Needs more researchon what this means?

• The professional body for pharmacy (RPSGB) was a
  very weak influence upon students decision to
  study pharmacy and therefore upon the nature of
  the pharmacy applicant pool.

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Key results - Intrinsic factors

• Intrinsic factors were the most important
  influences upon the decision to study pharmacy.
• They are related to students own attributes -
  liking for science, ability in science.
• And - in the what I want for myself category
  good career opportunities, employment, well
  respected profession, medical related profession.

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Career InfluencesGender Differences
All plt0.01
Career aspects as influences on decision to study
pharmacy. Results are shown as the difference
between the of respondents who rated as
important and the who rated as not-important.
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Gender Differences

• Evidence of bounding of rational choice.
• Females are more socially oriented and thinking
  ahead to the work life balance they want to make.
• Males are interested in opportunities for
  independence, through ownership or self
  employment.

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How strong would you say your desire to study
pharmacy was when you started at pharmacy school
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How strong would you say your desire to study be
a pharmacist was when you started at pharmacy
school
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Conclusions 1

• The decision to study pharmacy is a complex
  cognitive process over time.
• This study has tested all previously used
  motivation statements.
• Intrinsic influencers were perceived to be the
  most important
• A liking and aptitude for science.
• Personal aspirations for a good career
  (employment, opportunities, respect).
• This fits with rational choice theory although
  gender differences indicate that rational choice
  is bounded.

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Conclusions 2

• Only 3 extrinsic influencers were perceived of
  importance parental advice, university
  information and contacts and work-experience.
• Universitys are an important influence in the
  decision to study pharmacy and bound rational
  choice.
• Although around 50 of students described
  themselves as very committed to pharmacy, the
  importance placed on career outcomes could mean
  that future recruitment will be highly sensitive
  to market forces.

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Aston University Birmingham, England