The pharmacy profession has significantly evolved, presenting pharmacists with diverse career opportunities. To navigate this complex landscape, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Career Pathway Evaluation Program was established. This program aims to provide valuable insights into various career paths within pharmacy. This article delves into the critical factors identified by the APhA program that are associated with different pharmacy careers, drawing upon data from the 2012 Pharmacist Profile Survey. Understanding these factors is crucial for pharmacists and pharmacy students in making informed decisions about their education, training, and career progression.
Understanding the APhA Career Pathway Evaluation Program
Originally initiated by Glaxo Pharmaceuticals in the 1980s, the Career Pathway Evaluation Program has been continuously updated to reflect the evolving pharmacy landscape. The APhA took over the program, conducting surveys in 2002, 2007, and 2012 to keep career profiles current. The 2012 Pharmacist Profile Survey, the basis for this analysis, aimed to identify the underlying factors shaping work setting profiles across 28 distinct career pathways. This survey is instrumental in understanding the characteristics of different career options available to pharmacists.
Methodology of the 2012 Pharmacist Profile Survey
The 2012 survey employed a comprehensive approach to gather data from pharmacists across various specialties. The survey instrument was divided into five sections, focusing on:
- Primary work setting
- Work setting profile (45 items assessing work characteristics)
- Workload and activities
- Background information
- Open-ended opinions on career choices
This analysis focuses on section 2, which included 45 items rated on a 10-point scale, capturing the degree to which various work characteristics described a pharmacist’s work setting. These items ranged from time spent on patient care and research to managerial responsibilities and workplace benefits. Data was collected via a web-based survey, targeting pharmacists in 28 predefined career categories. Statistical methods, including exploratory factor analysis, were used to identify underlying factors from the 45 work setting variables.
Identifying Critical Factors Through Factor Analysis
Exploratory factor analysis of the 2012 survey data revealed eleven critical factors that define pharmacist work setting profiles. These factors are not isolated elements but rather underlying dimensions that characterize different career pathways. The identified factors are:
- Patient Care: Reflects the extent of direct patient interaction and care provision.
- Application of Clinical Knowledge: Indicates the degree to which specialized clinical expertise is utilized.
- Innovation: Captures opportunities for creativity, new program development, and implementing novel ideas.
- Stress: Represents the level of work-related pressure, demands, and intensity.
- Research: Highlights involvement in scientific inquiry, studies, and contributing to the evidence base.
- Managerial Responsibility: Indicates the extent of leadership, supervision, and administrative duties.
- Work Schedule Flexibility: Reflects the degree of control over working hours and schedule arrangements.
- Job Position Flexibility: Captures the potential for movement between different roles and responsibilities within a career.
- Self-Actualization: Indicates opportunities for personal growth, fulfillment, and making a significant impact.
- Geographic Location: Reflects the importance and desirability of the practice location.
- Continuity of Coworker Relationships: Highlights the stability and strength of professional relationships in the workplace.
Table 1: Career categories analyzed in the 2012 APhA Pharmacist Profile Survey, providing a comprehensive view of the pharmacy profession.
Factor Variation Across Pharmacist Career Pathways
The study revealed significant variations in these critical factors across the 28 career categories. This variation underscores that different pharmacy careers offer distinct work environments and professional experiences. For example, careers scoring high in patient care include ambulatory care pharmacy, independent community pharmacy, and community health centers. These settings prioritize direct patient interaction and clinical services.
In contrast, career paths like clinical specialist, ambulatory care pharmacy, and home health care pharmacy scored highest in application of clinical knowledge. This indicates roles where advanced clinical expertise is paramount and frequently applied.
Innovation was most prominent in pharmaceutical industry roles, such as medical liaison and sales & marketing, as well as in association and corporate management. These areas likely involve developing new strategies, products, or approaches within the pharmacy sector.
Interestingly, stress levels were reported highest in chain pharmacy, corporate management, and pharmaceutical industry sales & marketing. This may reflect the demands of high-volume environments, management pressures, and competitive sales targets.
Careers in academia (pharmaceutical sciences and social & administrative sciences) and pharmaceutical industry (medical liaison and R&D) showed the highest scores for research, emphasizing the research-intensive nature of these roles.
Managerial responsibility was a defining factor in corporate management, nuclear pharmacy, and association management, indicating leadership and administrative focus.
Work settings offering high work schedule flexibility included community health centers, medical communications/drug information, and contract research organizations, suggesting more adaptable work arrangements.
Job position flexibility was relatively lower across all categories, but slightly higher in long-term care/geriatric pharmacy, office-based medication management, and compounding pharmacy.
Self-actualization was strongly associated with academia-clinical practice, association management, and academia-social and administrative sciences, highlighting the personal fulfillment and impact potential in these careers.
Geographic location considerations were more pronounced in government/federal pharmacy, pharmacy benefit management, and home health care, possibly due to the specific geographic needs of these sectors.
Finally, continuity of coworker relationships was highly valued in pharmaceutical industry-sales & marketing, community health centers, academia-clinical practice, and corporate management, pointing to the importance of team stability and collaboration in these settings.
Table 3: Top career categories for each critical factor, offering a comparative guide for career exploration in pharmacy.
Implications for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Education
The insights from the APhA Career Pathway Evaluation Program have significant implications for both practicing pharmacists and pharmacy education. For pharmacists, understanding these critical factors can aid in career planning and transitions. By identifying the factors that are most important to them (e.g., patient care, innovation, work-life balance), pharmacists can proactively seek career paths that align with their values and preferences.
For pharmacy students and educators, these findings are invaluable in curriculum development and career advising. Pharmacy curricula can be designed to expose students to the diverse range of career options and the associated work setting profiles. Educators can use this information to guide students in selecting elective courses, residency programs, and experiential learning opportunities that match their career aspirations. For instance, students interested in patient care-focused careers can be directed towards ambulatory care or community pharmacy rotations. Those inclined towards research can explore opportunities in pharmaceutical sciences or academia.
The eleven critical factors identified also relate to broader aspects of work life, such as job satisfaction, work-life quality, and potential for job turnover. Recognizing these factors can help employers and organizations in the pharmacy sector to create more supportive and fulfilling work environments, ultimately improving pharmacist well-being and retention.
Conclusion: Guiding Future Pharmacist Careers
The APhA Career Pathway Evaluation Program provides a robust framework for understanding the diverse landscape of pharmacy careers. By identifying eleven critical factors that shape work setting profiles, the program offers valuable guidance for career decision-making. The 2012 Pharmacist Profile Survey, analyzed in this study, demonstrates the variation of these factors across 28 career pathways, highlighting the unique characteristics of each. This information is essential for pharmacists, pharmacy students, and educators in navigating the evolving pharmacy profession and making informed choices that lead to fulfilling and impactful careers. Future research and updates to the Career Pathway Evaluation Program will further refine these insights and continue to support career development in pharmacy.
