(1269) Evaluating and Comparing Career Growth Between Pharmacists Who Have and Have Not Completed Postgraduate Residency or Fellowship Training

Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to compare overall career growth trajectories of pharmacists who have completed different postgraduate residencies or a fellowship with those who entered the workforce with no postgraduate training. The secondary objectives will assess job opportunities, jobs obtained, job satisfaction, and salary perspectives. The goal of this study is to describe the impact of different postgraduate pharmacy training pathways on career advancement.

Many pharmacy students and new graduates struggle with the decision on what to do after completing pharmacy school.1 Several potential careers encourage or require further postgraduate training (such as residency or fellowship) to be considered qualified to perform certain job requirements. These postgraduate training programs involve substantial commitments from participants, in terms of time, effort, and deferred salary.2 Despite those factors, these positions remain highly desired. Over the past 20 years, interest and demand for pharmacy residency and fellowships has continued to increase with a 66% increase in residency applications in the last 10 years alone.3 In the most recent ASHP 2023 Residency Match there were 6,019 participating applications and 5,256 positions offered. This left 1083 unmatched applications and 256 unfilled positions.4 As indicated from this data, the demand for postgraduate training continues to outweigh the current supply.3,4

Currently, there is little published data evaluating the impact on career growth for pharmacists who have completed postgraduate training. A 2009 study based in the UK examined pharmacists who completed a postgraduate program in a community or hospital setting via a questionnaire to assess changes in jobs and responsibilities, importance of training, and job satisfaction following completion of the training. Overall, this study found that those students who completed postgraduate training had increased career opportunities and job movement they felt would not have been achieved through pharmacy school alone.5 As additional postgraduate training programs continue to emerge, there are still not enough positions for all interested applicants. This signifies the need for more research to evaluate career growth opportunities that can come from these postgraduate programs.

By comparing the outcomes of those who completed residencies and fellowships, this research intends to provide insight into the potential advantages and disadvantages of different postgraduate pharmacy training pathways. In addition, this analysis will provide valuable information to stakeholders designing training programs to evaluate and better align with the evolving demands of the healthcare landscape.

Methods: This multicenter survey-based study will be conducted from November 2023–June 2024 using an anonymous electronic survey to collect information from practicing licensed pharmacists. A questionnaire will be developed to collect information about current/past workplace roles and responsibilities, current/past career goals, career promotions or position changes, leadership roles, salary progression, and overall career satisfaction. The survey will be distributed using an electronic Qualtrics survey, promoted via email, social media, internet forums and message boards, and provided to professional pharmacy organizations with the request they forward to their membership for additional involvement. All currently practicing pharmacists in the US will be eligible for inclusion in the study, while licensed pharmacists who are no longer practicing will be excluded. Descriptive statistics will be performed on survey response data using SPSS; anticipated tests include ꭓ2 for nominal data and Mann Whitney U for ordinal data. The data will provide insights into the various aspects of career growth through the pharmacy profession.

Results: Results pending data collection and analysis.

Conclusions: This project aims to measure the impact of different pharmacy postgraduate training pathways on overall career growth and satisfaction. The results of this study will provide relevant findings to contribute to informed decision-making for individuals considering these different training routes and for organizations seeking to optimize training programs for future generations.