Background: In Japan, although many new pharmacy graduates are keen to find work, the number of new job openings for hospital pharmacists is limited. In this survey, we explored the attitudes toward work among hospital pharmacists working in large group hospitals in order to help pharmacy students make informed career decisions.Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered survey of 614 hospital pharmacists working in 66 institutions of the Tokushukai Hospital Group across Japan was conducted.Results: The proportion of usable data from surveyed pharmacists was 71.7%. Approximately 80% of the respondents desired to commit to careers in the healthcare field and were keen to gain opportunities for personal development. Personal development was the key item among reasons given for decisions about workplace and turnover. About 95% of the pharmacists surveyed were satisfied with their jobs. Compared to the job satisfaction level of other workers, that of pharmacists was considerably higher, although only 5.5% of pharmacists saw themselves staying in their current job until retirement. Job satisfaction data demonstrated significant differences among cohorts of age and years employed, although some specific items associated with job satisfaction could not be identified. Future work plans were influenced by age and job satisfaction. Conclusion:This study suggests that pharmacists working in group hospitals nurture positive expectations for their careers. Management needs to make greater efforts to understand the professional characteristics of hospital pharmacists in order to better utilize their professional abilities and skills for patient care and for the benefit of other healthcare professionals.

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Background: Pharmacy graduates’ attitudes toward their work at the early career stage, their career status, job satisfaction, and future plans have not been surveyed in Japan. Methods: Postcards were sent to 514 pharmacy graduates from a University in Tokyo, Japan, asking graduates to answer an online cross-sectional questionnaire. Results: Of the 86 respondents, 15% changed their jobs within three years, and the number of pharmacists working in the “community pharmacy” sector notably increased. Respondents working in non-pharmacy sectors were more satisfied with their jobs than those in the pharmacy sector. Furthermore, job satisfaction impacted the respondents’ future work plans, and the distribution of job satisfaction varied by current career sectors. Conclusion: In response to the global social and economic situations, pharmacy education should consider various fields and skills. Career guidance should be incorporated into the pharmacy curriculum. Further studies on this case are required worldwide to prepare pharmacists for their future roles.

BackgroundFew studies in Japan use clustering to examine the work attitudes of pharmacists. This study conducts an exploratory analysis to classify those attitudes based on previous studies to help staff pharmacists and their management to understand their mutually beneficial requirements.MethodsSurvey data collected in previous studies from 1 228 community pharmacists and 419 hospital pharmacists were analyzed using Quantification Theory 3 and clustering.ResultsAmong community pharmacists, two clusters, namely 30‐ to 34‐year‐old married males and married males aged over 35 years, reported the highest job satisfaction, intending to remain in their jobs for 5 years or more or until retirement. Conversely, one cluster of 35‐ to 39‐year‐old single females reported the lowest job satisfaction and intended to remain for less than 5  years or were undecided. Among hospital pharmacists, one cluster of 22‐ to 25‐year‐old single males reported the highest job satisfaction and intended to remain for more than 5 years. Conversely, one cluster of 30‐ to 34‐year‐old married males reported the lowest job satisfaction and a period of working undetermined.ConclusionsThis study used clustering to explore how pharmacists of different ages, marital statuses, and experience felt regarding their work. Job satisfaction and human relationships are significant in considering future work plans of practicing pharmacists. Pharmacy staff, supervisors, and managers of community or hospital pharmacies must recognize features of pharmacists’ work attitudes for offering high‐quality service to patients.