Australian intern pharmacists’ perceived preparedness for practice, and their expectations and experiences of the internship year and future career intentions

Abstract

Background: A key objective of Australia's health care reform is a skilled, flexible, and well-trained workforce. To meet these requirements, the training of health professionals, including pharmacists, needs to be focused on patient care processes, and students must develop competencies in the delivery of patient care. Pharmacy graduates need to be well prepared for new and alternative career pathways through their education and training, to be a part of the future workforce. This study explores Australian intern pharmacists' perceived preparedness for practice, the match between their expectations and experience to meet the requirements of health professionals in Australia's health care reforms, and their future career intentions.

Methods: Two questionnaires were sent by post to all 136 intern pharmacists in South Australia; one was sent early in their internship and the second follow-up questionnaire was sent near the completion of their internship.

Results: Pharmacy graduates felt prepared for patient care, medicines information, and primary health care roles. A mismatch between expectations and actual experiences was found. By the end of the internship, 45% agree/strongly agree that they wanted to do something else other than being a practicing pharmacist.

Conclusion: The current internship model no longer meets the needs and expectations of knowledgeable and skilled pharmacy graduates. An alternative internship model, which considers the expectations of graduates, is required.