<p>Pharmacy Students Motivation, Preparation and Factors Affecting Pursuing Postgraduate Education in Ethiopian University</p>

Abstract

Background: Pharmacy students seek postgraduate education (PGE) to develop their knowledge in a specified field of interest. Postgraduate Master's programs under the school of pharmacy in Ethiopia include clinical pharmacy, pharmacology, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, social pharmacy and administrative pharmacy, and pharmaceutics. This study aims to assess pharmacy student's motivation to study postgraduate programs and potential barriers to pursue postgraduate education. Methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on regular pharmacy students of the University of Gondar. A survey was distributed to undergraduate regular pharmacy students from year one to five. PGE interested and non-interested student's difference in their characteristics was examined using chi-square. Binary Logistic regression was used to examine predictors of pursuing PGE. The study was conducted from February 1 to February 30, 2019. Results: A total of 388 pharmacy students have participated in the study. More than half 215 (55.4%) of participants were males and in the age group 22-25, 204 (52.6%). Region (p-0.007), pharmacy as a first choice (p-0.001), experience in a leadership position (p-0.002), previous pharmacy-related work experience (p-0.001), and previous attendance at the conference (p-0.001) have shown statistically significant association with interest to pursue postgraduate education. Conclusion: Generally, few students rate their level of preparation and level of confidence to apply for PGE at high. Further works including preparing motivational speeches and details on admission requirements for available PGE programs have to be prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to enhance students' interest. Besides, potential development of scholarships for PGE may enhance the ability of some students to apply for PGE, who otherwise would be unable to.

Factors Affecting Pharmacy Students’ Decision to Study in Pharmacy Colleges in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire-Based Analysis

“…More than half of the participants are currently studying in the central-region universities, most likely because the central region of Saudi Arabia has the highest population density and the highest number of pharmacy colleges [ 4 , 27 ]. Regarding students’ GPA, we found that majority of students had a GPA ranging from 4 to 4.50, or “very good,” which is similar to other studies conducted in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia [ 14 , 19 ].…”

“…In our study, 41.5% of the respondents had chosen to study Pharmacy as their first choice, followed by 34.8% and 15.1% who selected it as their second and third choice, respectively. The percentage of students selecting pharmacy school as their first choice was lower than the percentages found in Sudan (79.3%) [ 13 ], Ethiopia (67.6%) [ 14 ], the United States (53%) [ 11 ], and South Africa (52.3%) [ 12 ]. On the other hand, although the current study was conducted across different pharmacy schools and among both PharmD and BPharm students, the study’s findings were similar to another study conducted in Saudi Arabia, wherein 37.7% of pharmacy students (PharmD) at Taif University revealed that they had chosen pharmacy school as their first choice [ 19 ].…”

“…Some studies have shown that students chose pharmacy schools as their first choice, while others have found that students chose it as their second choice. For example, studies in Sudan, Ethiopia, the US, and South Africa have examined students’ selection of pharmacy as the major and shown that the majority of students (79.3%, 67.6%, 53%, and 52.3%, respectively) chose pharmacy as the first choice [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…The reasons why students pick a pharmacy school as their first choice differ from one country to another. For example, in the US and Ethiopia, students were encouraged by a family member, a pharmacist, or a pharmacy student [ 11 , 14 ]. In a western county such as the United Kingdom (UK), students related their decision to study pharmacy to its being a science-based course [ 16 ], while in Australia, students related their decision to self-employment and salary [ 17 ].…”

Challenges and Countermeasures of Medical Postgraduate Training under the New Situation

“…It is well known that a considerable proportion of the tutor's laissez-faire training leads to a scattered postgraduate. Some students realized it was challenging to meet the graduation standards even until graduation [5].…”