Int J Pharm Pract 2000:8:10-19

Centre for Professions and Professional Work, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, England NG7 2RD
B. Sue Symonds, MRPharmS, PhD student

Correspondence:
Dr Symonds, 30 Main Street, Bunny, Nottingham, England NG11 6QU bssymonds@aol.com

Original Papers

Workcoping and homecoping: achieving a balance in part-time community pharmacy

B. SUE SYMONDS

Objectives - (1) To explore different concepts of part-time work by means of a study of part-time work in community pharmacy; (2) to ascertain the complexity and diversity of part-time work patterns; (3) to consider the strategies employed by part-time pharmacists to make their part-time working possible.
Methods - Records of part-time work in community pharmacy were examined. A quantitative survey was conducted by sending a postal self-completion questionnaire to 975 pharmacists. There were 727 valid responses. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 community pharmacists, identified from the survey as working part time. The emphasis was on data representing the part-timers' own perceptions of their work and careers.
Setting - The total membership of two Midlands branches of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.
Key findings - Of the 230 pharmacists (31 per cent of all respondents) who worked part time, 200 (140 women; 60 men) worked in community pharmacy. There was a considerable range and variability of working patterns, the clearest division being between employed (70) and self-employed (122) part-timers. The strategies used to cope with work and family responsibilities by both men and women of different ages and under different circumstances were sometimes very complex. The terms "workcoping" and "homecoping" were devised to describe these strategies.
Conclusions - Existing concepts of part-time work do not fully explain the complexities revealed in this study. Many part-time pharmacists believed they had achieved a balance which was both professionally satisfying and socially responsible. They employed strategies which enabled them to maintain this balance and keep control over their lives.