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Most pharmacists unhappy with career choice

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Most pharmacists unhappy with career choice

Nearly 60 per cent of pharmacists say that if they had their time again they would not choose the same profession – and almost three-quarters would not recommend the career to their children, according to a new survey by CIG Research.

Almost all pharmacists believe that more and more is asked of them each year, 69 per cent find it hard to maintain a good work-life balance, and 36 per cent want to make a career change.

Across all pharmacy staff, the average satisfaction level is ‘quite contented’. Locums have the lowest level of contentment, while technicians and assistants are generally more content than pharmacists. The discontented tend to be older, and half of pharmacist proprietors and 53 per cent of locums are hoping to retire in the next five years.

Over half of employees feel less valued by their employer than they did in the past and those working for the multiples feel this particularly keenly. While 77 per cent of multiple pharmacists feel less valued, the figure for independents is 50 per cent.

One in three staff surveyed is very or extremely contented at work, but this drops to just one in eight of those who are dissatisfied with their pay package. Three-quarters of those who are completely or very satisfied with their pay are extremely or very contented.

Only 38 per cent of pharmacists believe they are well rewarded for their work and locums are the least happy with only 21 per cent agreeing.

For those most satisfied with their remuneration, their discontentment at work is most likely to be attributed to their workload, while those who are dissatisfied with their remuneration complain of poor pay as much as they do workload.

Discontentment is most likely to be caused by overwork, poor pay and inadequate staff numbers. In December 2015 and January 2016, CIG Research surveyed 593 pharmacists (including locums and pharmacist managers) for its Pharmacists’ Attitudes Survey.

 

What Pharmacists Think 2016

The full results and critical insights in the What Pharmacists Think attitude and remuneration surveys are available for purchase. For full information and to order please contact Paul Fenton, CIG Research at paul.fenton@1530.com or call him on 020 7534 7214.

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