Hospital pharmacists’ perceptions of the suitability of doctor of pharmacy graduates in hospital settings in Thailand

Abstract

BackgroundThai pharmacy education has moved to an all Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programme. However, there has been no previous research about the perceptions regarding the suitability of PharmD graduates employed in hospital settings, which is the major pharmacy workforce in Thailand.MethodsA cross-sectional survey questionnaire was distributed to 180 hospital pharmacists at the 2013 Association of Hospital Pharmacy (Thailand) conference. This study aimed to explore Thai hospital pharmacists’ perceptions concerning the suitability of the PharmD graduates employed in hospital settings and the competency differences between the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) and PharmD graduates. Descriptive statistics were used to present the participants’ demographics and their perceptions. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the open-ended written answers.ResultsNinety-eight valid responses were included in the data analysis (response rate of 55.6 %). The majority of the respondents (76.5 %) felt that the PharmD graduates were suited for the hospital setting and addressed its need for more professionals working in pharmaceutical care and with multi-disciplinary teams. Approximately 55 % of respondents agreed that there were competency differences between the BPharm and PharmD graduates. Major themes emerged in response to the open-ended written answers showing that PharmD graduates had high competency in patient care services and readiness to work, particularly in large hospitals, due to their training to work in specialised areas (e.g., special clinics, ward rounds). However, PharmD graduates require more training in health promotion and humanistic skills and need the system to promote the role of PharmD in pharmaceutical care.ConclusionsPharmD graduates were suited for hospital settings. However, there were concerns regarding the suitability of the PharmD graduates for the community hospital and primary care hospital settings because of their insufficient training in health promotion and disease prevention. Half of the respondents perceived PharmD graduates as having higher competencies in clinical activities and being more prepared to work than BPharm graduates. However, the other half of the respondents perceived the competency of both pharmacy qualifications as being similar, as PharmD graduates provide non-clinical activities similar to BPharm graduates due to the high workload in dispensing services and the shortage of hospital pharmacists, which prevent PharmD graduates from providing direct pharmaceutical care services.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-015-0471-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Are we on the right track? Answers from a national survey of Thai graduates’ perceptions during the transition to the 6-year PharmD program

“…The previous research conducted with employers and pharmacists supported the transition to the 6-year PharmD program since it equipped newly graduated pharmacists with specialized competencies, and the graduates were more ready to work. 11 , 14 Development of specialization is a global trend for pharmacy to continue to become more patient oriented and enhance professional recognition. Pharmacy education in Europe also developed a core set of competencies for specialization for pharmacist who would become an expert in one particular skill or area such as hospital pharmacy or community pharmacy.…”

“…Another concern mentioned in previous studies that the 6-year PharmD program was effective in preparing students in clinical care for tertiary hospital settings, but not ready for other tasks, such as providing primary care and community care. 14 Similarly, employers reported a need for additional competencies for those working in local pharmaceutical manufacturing settings. 11 The findings of this survey, representing the graduates’ view on their competencies, were concordant with the previous work.…”

“…Similar findings were observed among employers in hospitals, they remarked that pharmacy education should include and integrate the subjects of health promotion and public health in pharmacy curriculum. 14 …”

“…Previous research has mainly focused on societal perspective on the curricular transition, 11 , 14 and there has been limited research exploring the perspective of the graduates themselves. A previous study that observed self-reported competency across Thai pharmacy education programs was limited to a subgroup of graduates from a public university who enrolled in the public service program of the Ministry of Public Health, 15 and thus, the reported competencies were more likely to focus on the area of PC only while this research aimed to survey both PC and IP.…”

Hospital Pharmacy Practice and the Way Forward for Pharmacy Education in Thailand

“…16,20,[22][23][24][25] Similar to the PharmD program in the United States, the original intent of expanding the pharmacy curriculum to a 6-year PharmD program was to develop expertise in pharmaceutical care. 26 This change took place in spite of initial concerns from the wider profession, 27,28 and graduates themselves now see the advantages to be gained from specialization in the additional year. 29 With regard to the number of pharmacy graduates to meet the needs of the society, the Pharmacy Education Consortium of Thailand, an independent agency consisting of deans of pharmacy faculties nationwide, has agreed to encourage at least 200 pharmacists per year to continue their education (in the form of a diploma or a certificate) and, focusing on primary care and herbs, to produce at least 100 herbal pharmacists per year.…”