Exploring students\u27 perspectives on pharmaceutical studies and employment opportunities

Študijski program Farmacija se v Sloveniji do sedaj izvaja zgolj na Fakulteti za farmacijo Univerze v Ljubljani. Študij predvideva enotno pridobivanje kompetenc za opravljanje farmacevtskih poklicev v okviru državnega in evropskega trga dela, kar pomeni izobraževanje kadrov za trg dela v segmentu javnih in zasebnih služb. V Sloveniji že nekaj časa vztraja pomanjkanje lekarniških farmacevtov, kar izhaja iz povečanega obsega dela v sektorju in tudi svobodne izbire poklica po opravljenem študiju farmacije. Takšno stanje lahko ogrozi izvajanje zdravstvenih storitev v okviru lekarniške dejavnosti. Možne vzroke za nastalo neravnovesje smo želeli najti v samem študiju in drugih neformalnih stikih s farmacevtskim okoljem v času študija, ko študenti nabirajo informacije za odločitev o zaposlitvi. Namen naloge je pridobiti vpogled v naravo študija farmacije z vidika študentov ter raziskati možne vplive na izbiro študija in kasnejšo izbiro poklica. Z anketno raziskavo smo ovrednotili dejavnike vpliva na izbiro in potek študija ter kasnejšo izbiro poklica med študenti farmacije z ozirom na obstoječe sorodne raziskave, ki smo jih prilagodili za slovenski kontekst. Podatke smo pridobili s spletnim razširjanjem vprašalnika med študente vseh letnikov v obdobju od 26. 6. do 11. 7. 2023. Za namen vrednotenja rezultatov raziskave smo glede na demografske podatke oblikovali kohorte – raziskovali smo razlike med letniki študija ter razlike med skupinami glede na nekatere končne izide, denimo želeno zaposlitev po zaključku študija, pa tudi spolno razliko. Struktura vprašalnika in magistrske naloge je tridelna, sestoji iz raziskovanja vplivov na izbire študija, percepcijo študija in izbiro zaposlitve. Vpliv dejavnikov izbire in virov informacij smo ovrednotili z metodami opisne in sklepne statistike, dobljene rezultate pa smo skušali razumeti tudi z analizo odgovorov na odprta vprašanja, ki smo jih po smislu agregirali v pomenske sklope. Ugotovili smo, da med najmočnejše motivatorje za izbiro študija spada zagotovljena finančna stabilnost, povezana s pridobljeno izobrazbo in delovnimi mesti, in farmacevtske strokovne vsebine. Študenti informacije o študiju povečini pridobivajo iz omejenega nabora virov oziroma se njihova predstava o študiju oblikuje šele med samim študijem. Glavni vir informacij predstavlja informativni dan na fakulteti, medtem ko so drugi viri informacij slabo poznani. Študenti so povečini zadovoljni s študijem na fakulteti in predmetnikom, vendar imajo mnenje, da so mnoge vsebine obsoletne, da se ponavljajo in da ne ponujajo vseh potrebnih znanj za samostojno opravljanje poklica po zaključenem študiju, najbolj izrazito glede služb v lekarniškem okolju. Glede odločitve o zaposlitvi se bodo študentje v največji meri informirali pri delodajalcu, na praktičnem usposabljanju v 5. letniku in prek izkušenj drugih študentov. Pokazali smo, da delež študentov, ki pridobi delovne izkušnje s študentskim delom do 5. letnika vztrajno naraščado takrat okoli 70 % študentov pridobi izkušnjo z delom v vsaj enem okolju, ki se tiče farmacevtskih znanosti. Z magistrsko nalogo smo ovrednotili nekatere najpomembnejše vplive na potek študija. Iz rezultatov lahko sklepamo, da je študentom zelo pomembna finančna varnost, ki jo lahko dosežejo z dokončanjem študija in zaposlitvijo v farmacevtskih poklicih, pri uresničevanju te motivacije pa je razlika med zasebno in javno dejavnostjo lahko precejšnja v prid bolj plačani zasebni službi. Predvsem javni segment bo moral kot odgovor na vztrajno pomanjkanje kadrov razvijati strategijo, s katero lahko na nove in drugačne načine naslavlja študente in jim približa delo. Med drugim se lahko opirajo tudi na nekatere ugotovitve študije, predvsem glede obsežnejšega širjenja vrednot dela v javni službi, pripoznanega manka v komunikaciji glede študija in zaposlitev ter velikim pomenom študentskega dela pri izbiri poklica. Obenem pa na dolgi rok ne izključujemo niti potrebe po rešitvi v smislu širše reorganizacije lekarniške dejavnosti.The University of Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy is the sole provider of pharmacy education in Slovenia at the tertiary level. The programme aims at a comprehensive acquisition of competencies necessary for pursuing pharmaceutical professions within the national and European labour market, thereby addressing the labour market demands in both the public and private sectors. In Slovenia, there has been a shortage of community pharmacists for some time, stemming from increased workload in the sector and the freedom of career choice after completing a pharmacy degree. Such a situation can jeopardize the provision of healthcare services. We wanted to identify possible causes for this imbalance in the pharmacy studies themselves and in other informal interactions with the pharmaceutical environment during the study, when students gather information to make employment decisions. The objective of this study is to gain insights into the nature of pharmacy education from the perspective of students and explore potential influences on their choice of study and subsequent career decisions. Through a questionnaire, we assessed the factors influencing the choice and progression of pharmacy studies, as well as subsequent career choices among pharmacy students, considering existing research adapted to the Slovenian context. Data were collected by distributing an online questionnaire to students from all academic years between June 26 and July 11, 2023. To evaluate the research results, we categorized cohorts based on demographic information and examined differences between academic years and among groups based on certain outcomes, such as desired employment after completing their studies, and gender. The questionnaire and master\u27s thesis are structured into three parts, encompassing the examination of factors influencing study choices, the perception of the study programme, and employment choices. The impact of choice factors and sources of information was assessed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods, and we sought to comprehend the results through an analysis of responses to open-ended questions, which were aggregated into meaningful clusters. It was found that the most significant motivators for choosing pharmacy studies included the assurance of financial stability associated with education and job prospects, as well as an interest in pharmaceutical sciences. Students predominantly obtain information about the programme from a limited set of sources, and their perception of the programme often forms during the course of their studies. The primary source of information is the annual Faculty »Open House« event, while other sources are relatively unfamiliar. Overall, students express satisfaction with the curriculum and the faculty, although they believe that certain content is outdated, repetitive, and insufficient in providing the necessary knowledge for independent professional practice, particularly in pharmacy settings. Regarding employment decisions, students primarily seek information from employers, practical training in the 5th year of study, and the experiences of other students. The study revealed that the proportion of students gaining work experience through part-time employment steadily increases until the 5th year, with approximately 70% of students gaining work experience in at least one pharmaceutical-related setting by that time. In the master\u27s thesis, we evaluated some of the most important influences on the course of study. From the results, we can conclude that financial security is very important to students, which they can achieve through completing their studies and employment in pharmaceutical professions. In the pursuit of this motivation, there can be a significant difference between the private and public sectors in favor of higher-paying private jobs. The public sector, in particular, will need to develop a strategy in response to the persistent shortage of personnel, which can address students in new and different ways and bring them closer to the field of work. Among other things, they can also rely on some of the study\u27s findings, especially regarding the wider dissemination of work values in the public service, the recognized lack of communication regarding study and employment, and the significant importance of student work in career choice. At the same time, in the long term, we do not exclude the need for a solution in the form of broader reorganization of the pharmacy sector