Pharmacists’ perceptions of career opportunities in Australia

Background: Anecdotal reports of an oversupply of pharmacy graduates are a growing concern for Australian pharmacists. However, limited data exists regarding pharmacists’ employment experiences and perceptions of current career opportunities in Australia. Aim: To understand Australian pharmacists’ and pharmacy interns’ employment experiences by exploring their satisfaction and perspectives on current employment opportunities. Method: An electronic survey was distributed to pharmacists and pharmacy interns across Australia between March and June 2016. National professional organisations for pharmacists assisted with the distribution of the survey. Follow-up interviews were conducted to further explore survey findings. Results: A total of 306 individuals completed the survey (83% pharmacists; 17% interns). The majority of pharmacists and interns reported high satisfaction with current employment and professional practice opportunities; however, there is a misalignment between their rated satisfaction and their perspectives on future employment prospects. Key themes that emerged included personal networks for employment, salary and location, and concerns for the future of the profession. The results suggested a confused workforce that are glad to have jobs, but not confident that they could move to other positions if required, or further, that there will be even fewer jobs available in the future. Conclusion: This study provided valuable insight to the Australian Pharmacist workforce, by improving our understanding of pharmacists’ employment experiences and perspectives. Further exploration of themes identified in this study is required to better inform the future of pharmacy professional practice and employment.