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The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 265 No 7114 September 16, 2000
Pharmacy Practice Research
Papers presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference, Birmingham, September 10 to 13, 2000 pR44

Determining why community pharmacists choose to leave community pharmacy

By S. J. Tweddell and D. J. Wright

Introduction The manpower crisis in community pharmacy has been regularly reported.1-3 Reasons such as extended opening hours, primary care advisory roles, and non-contract pharmacies have all been proposed as possible causes. Employers expend a large amount of resources on recruitment in order to address this issue. With the fallow year approaching, it may also be necessary to improve retention within community pharmacy. Determining the reasons why community pharmacists change employment may allow interventions to improve retention to be implemented.

Method A questionnaire, piloted on 20 pharmacists, was posted to all of the 260 community pharmacists who had decided to leave their community pharmacy post with one large multiple during 1997-98. The questionnaire was designed to determine what post the pharmacist had gone to and the reasons for the change in position.

Results One hundred and one questionnaires (39 per cent) were returned after one follow-up. Mean age of respondents was 36. Thirty-nine per cent had been qualified less than five years and 61 per cent less than 10 years.
Seventy-eight respondents (78 per cent) had stayed in community pharmacy, eight (8 per cent) had become hospital pharmacists, five (5 per cent) took health authority/practice pharmacy positions, two (2 per cent) were hospital/community locums and one (1 per cent) took an industry post. Three respondents (3 per cent) had left the profession altogether and four (4 per cent) were not working.
Reasons stated for leaving community pharmacy included long hours (48 per cent), lack of professional fulfilment (43 per cent), monotony of workload (39 per cent), lack of breaks (30 per cent), isolation from peers and other health care professionals (26 per cent), lack of status (22 per cent), and lack of challenge (13 per cent).
Forty-three per cent of respondents leaving community pharmacy believed closer links with general medical practitioners were necessary, 39 per cent wanted an increased clinical role, and 39 per cent wanted an increased advisory role to patients and other health care professionals. Thirty-five per cent wanted a review of remuneration to reduce the dependence on retail, 26 per cent believed a more professional image was necessary, while 17 per cent saw an increased role for technician dispensing.

Focal points

  • There is an apparent lack of job satisfaction among community pharmacists
  • A significant number of community pharmacists left to pursue careers in other sectors of the profession
  • Community pharmacists feel a sense of isolation and lack of fulfilment
  • Community pharmacists would like a more clinical role involving closer links with general practitioners
  • To retain pharmacists, community pharmacy must evolve to provide many of the facets found within hospital pharmacy

Discussion With a response rate of 39 per cent, it is not possible to state that these results were representative of the whole population. There is an apparent lack of job satisfaction and fulfilment among these community pharmacists, which, when coupled with a high workload, long inflexible hours, lack of breaks and isolation from peers, can lead to a change in career. Twenty-three per cent of pharmacists resigning from community pharmacy positions left the community pharmacy sector, many in search of more challenging jobs working as part of a team in a multidisciplinary role.
The evidence is that pharmacists are not leaving the profession altogether, a view echoed by a Royal Pharmaceutical Society study in 1998,4 but are moving within sectors. Many pharmacists who do stay within community choose to locum, perhaps so they can pick and choose their jobs and relinquish the responsibilities of management.
To retain quality, motivated pharmacists within the sector, community pharmacy must evolve to provide many of the facets found within hospital pharmacy, ie, on average a shorter working day, regular breaks, multidisciplinary team-working, clinical specialists, technician delegation and virtually compulsory clinical diplomas.

School of pharmacy, University of Bradford

References

1. Employers report increasing recruitment problems. Pharm J 1998;260:444.
2. The manpower crisis in community pharmacy: myth or reality? Pharm J 1999; 263: 491.
3. Employers claim pharmacists are poorly motivated. Chem Druggist 1999;251: 29.
4. Workforce survey finds no evidence of substantial outflow from profession. Pharm J 1998; 260:197.