WHILE positive attitudes towards future employment and rural pharmacy placement characterised the findings from the National Pharmacy Students Survey (NPSS) 2017, hospital pharmacy placements, concerns regarding internships and wages continue to trouble students.
SHPA national president, Professor Michael Dooley, also believes this is a matter that needs to be addressed, saying, "It is imperative that we continue to provide greater guidance and access for students to hospital pharmacy practice, as this is now the preferred professional choice for students".
More than three in five respondents said they did not feel adequately exposed to the hospital pharmacy environment in preparation for the workforce, despite 44% of respondents having ambitions to be employed in this field in five years.
At the same time, it was encouraging to see 90% of these respondents have strong desires to undertake an SHPA Hospital Residency Program, which was launched in 2017, said NAPSA executive director of Research and Transformation, Vasilios Sotiropoulos.
Findings from the survey drive NAPSA's agenda for change, said national president Sandra Minas, adding that some of the consequent initiatives will be announced at the NAPSA Congress to be held in Sydney next month.
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