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 compe-tencies 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.