Abstract
Objective:
To determine whether (1) differences exist between BSPharm and PharmD pharmacists in practice site selection, activities, and attitudes; and (2) differences in activities and attitudes exist uniquely between BS and PharmD pharmacists in hospital settings and in community settings.
Design:
A survey was designed and sent through the mail.
Setting:
The BSPharm graduating classes of 1985 and 1986 and the PharmD graduating classes of 1988–1990 from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Participants:
Usable responses were received from 65% (n = 159) of the BSPharm cohort and 54% (n = 176) of the PharmD cohort.
Main Outcomes:
The outcomes under study were: (1) the choice of practice setting of the first job and the current job; (2) percent of time spent in 4 broad categories of pharmacists' activities: prescription processing, clinical activities, management, and educating; (3) levels of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction; and (4) levels of professional commitment.
Results:
Chi-square results indicated that more BS pharmacists were practicing in community settings than were PharmD pharmacists. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that PharmD pharmacists were spending significantly more time in clinical and educating activities, and less time in prescription processing, controlling for any effect associated with age. PharmDs were significantly more committed to the profession and had higher levels of intrinsic job satisfaction. Analysis of data on 122 hospital pharmacists showed that PharmDs were spending significantly more time on educating activities and less time in processing prescriptions than BSPharm pharmacists, and that they were more intrinsically satisfied. No differences were found between BSPharm pharmacists and PharmD pharmacists in community settings.
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that the additional clinical education in PharmD programs may have a role in developing pharmacists with greater professional commitment and job satisfaction.
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