Pharmacy Students Increasingly View Profession More Positively

In 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy released results from a survey that showed a decline in graduating pharmacy students’ positivity towards their career.¹ In the survey, students who indicated they would choose pharmacy again if they were starting college over dropped from 81.8% in 2014 to 74.8% in 2021. The decline was attributed to various reasons, including a tightening labor market, rising student debt, a stagnation in wage growth, and higher reports of adverse working conditions among pharmacists.

However, a new report from the organization has shown the trend has reserved in recent years.² From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of graduating students who agreed or strongly agreed that they would still choose pharmacy increased to 78.9%. This is likely due to increased job opportunities and an enhanced view of the pharmacy profession during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the rate is still below what it was previously, the trend is now moving in a more positive direction.

In a recent interview, Drug Topics sat down with David Nau, PhD, professor of social and administrative pharmacy, and director of assessment at Ohio Northern University, to discuss the results of the survey, what contributed to the initial decline in student attitudes, and key motivators for students who continue to view pharmacy as a rewarding profession.

“More and more student [pharmacists] are starting to say that if they had to do it over again, they would,” Nau said. “I think that positivity might be due to a few different factors. One of [them] is that during the pandemic, pharmacists got to be the heroes. We got to screen and treat people. We were immunizing millions of people and got a lot of positive press and recognition, both on a national level but also on a personal level.”

References

1. Nau DP, Kier KL. The decline in graduating student pharmacist positivity for the profession of pharmacy. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2022 Mar-Apr;62(2):537-540. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.10.013. Epub 2021 Oct 21. PMID: 34736866.

2. Nau DP, Kier KL, Avello DC. A Positive Change in Student Positivity about Pharmacy. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2024 Oct 8:102261. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2024.102261. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39389226.