Specialized competency framework for pharmacists in managerial positions in sales and marketing (SCF-PMSM): development, validation, and correlates

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists in sales and marketing roles need specific skills for managerial positions, and a framework for evaluating and developing these competencies is necessary. Currently, no such framework is known to exist. Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a specialized competency framework for pharmacists in sales and marketing managerial positions and assess correlates related to the competency domains. Methods: This web-based study carried out between March and October 2022 enrolled a convenient sample of 60 pharmacists with managerial positions in sales and marketing, contacted by phone, working in the field of sales and marketing from the five governorates of Lebanon (Beirut, Beqaa, Mount Lebanon, South, and North). Results: The framework demonstrated good construct and structural validity in all domains except for emergency preparedness, which had a low correlation with other domains. Competencies were well correlated with respective domains, and behaviors had excellent loadings on corresponding competencies. As for the correlates of the competency domains, males were more confident than females (p