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Pharma Industry

Work Profiles Identified from the 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Career Pathway Profile Survey

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2008 by Schommer, Jon C, Brown, Lawrence M, Sogol, Elliott M

Objectives. To investigate the underlying factor structure of respondents' work profiles that were created using the 48 items in the Career Pathway Evaluation Program, 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Profile Survey, and use the resulting factors to describe the 26 different work categories listed in the survey.

Methods. Exploratory factor analysis was used to describe the underlying structures (factors) that best represented respondents' work profiles. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were used to describe the 26 different work categories listed in the survey.

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Results. Ten underlying factors were identified for the respondents' work profiles. A description of these factors among the 26 different respondent categories revealed variation among the categories that can be useful for describing the career categories in the American Pharmacists Association Career Pathway Evaluation Program.

Conclusions. Variations in work settings among various pharmacy careers were identified. The profiles constructed in this study could be helpful to individuals as they consider various career paths and choose elective coursework or experiential sites during their pharmacy education.

Keywords: career, work profile, pharmacist, pharmaceutical scientist

INTRODUCTION

Many doctor of pharmacy graduates gain exposure to only a few of the career options that are available to them after graduation.1-6 Such limited exposure of students to options that are available has been reported by medical and nursing professions as well.7-10 To help pharmacy students learn about various career options that might fit their interests and skills, the Pathway Evaluation Program for Pharmacy Professionals was developed by Glaxo Pharmaceuticals in the 1980s. This program allowed individuals to match their interests and skills with career profiles to help determine which career options might be most suitable for them.

The career profiles for the program were developed and updated through a series of surveys of respondents who worked in the career categories covered by the program. The initial Glaxo Pharmacy Specialty Survey was conducted in the fall of 1988. In an effort to keep the information current, the Glaxo Pharmacy Specialty Survey was conducted again in the spring of 1993.11

The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) conducted the 2002 Career Pathway Evaluation Program, Pharmacist Profile Survey to update the career profiles. The APhA constructed the sampling frame using lists from various pharmacy organizations. The goal was to construct a sampling frame that represented pharmacists in each of the respondent categories used for the program. Findings from that survey were published in 2003.12-13

Using the 2002 survey as a template, the profile survey was repeated during spring 2007 and expanded to include more measurement items and both pharmacist and pharmaceutical scientist career pathways.14 (Copies of the Career Pathway Evaluation Program - 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Profile Survey are available from the corresponding author upon request.)

The purpose of this study was to use a portion of the results from the Career Pathway Evaluation Program 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Profile Survey as a data source to (1) investigate the underlying factor structure of respondents' practice profiles that were created using the 48 items in the survey (available from corresponding author upon request) and (2) use the resulting factors to describe the 26 different career pathways listed in the survey (Table 1).

METHODS

The data source used in this study was the results of the Career Pathway Evaluation Program - 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Profile Survey. The survey instrument consisted of 5 sections that collected information about respondents' (1) primary work setting, (2) work setting profile, (3) workload and work activities, (4) background information, and (5) open-ended written opinions regarding career choices and about the survey instrument (available from the first author). Only data collected from section 2 on work setting profiles were used for this study. This section contained 48 items. Respondents rated on a 10-point scale the degree to which each item described their work setting (eg, time spent performing physical assessments, conducting research, or managing business operations). The items included on the survey instrument were selected by an expert panel so that the work settings described would represent a broad range of career categories. In addition, the items selected covered a number of facets of the work setting. For example, in addition to time spent on various activities, items about the benefits offered/available were also included (eg, job sharing, parental leave, etc.) This allowed for variation that was necessary for creating career profiles within the Career Pathway program.

For the 2007 survey, a web-based data collection technique was utilized, with Formsite.com serving as the host site for the survey. Through a purposive sampling process, individuals who would likely fit one of the 26 career categories (Table 1) in the survey were identified as potential respondents by an expert panel that convened on a weekly basis via conference call to identify and invite individuals to participate. Both individual (eg, personal e-mails) and broadcast (eg, newsletters) invitations were used for recruiting survey respondents. Invitations were made from February 2007 through April 2007.

Pharma Industry

Work Profiles Identified from the 2007 Pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Scientist Career Pathway Profile Survey

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2008 by Schommer, Jon C, Brown, Lawrence M, Sogol, Elliott M

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