AN ASSESSMENT OF RECENT PHARMACY GRADUATES KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FUNCTIONS, AND INVOLVEMENT IN PHARMACY TEACHING PROGRAMS

Study Objectives. To determine self-evaluated professional knowledge a nd competency, functions, demographic information, lifelong learning, degree and training status, practice sites, involvement in pharmacy te aching programs, and salary for recent pharmacy graduates. Design. A s urvey of recent Bachelor of Science (B.S.) pharmacy graduates of the U niversity of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. Measurements and Main Resul ts. A total of 371 B.S. pharmacy graduates (55% response rate) provide d information. Graduates who had an advanced degree or training (from many programs) after completing their B.S. pharmacy degree, and those who were teaching in pharmacy programs generally had higher self-rated levels of knowledge and competencies. Hospital pharmacists spent less of their work time in dispensing activities (33.82% +/- 30.39%) than community pharmacists (61.04% +/- 19.97%; t=8.78, df=288, p<0.001); co mmunity pharmacists spent twice as much of their work time counseling and educating patients (16.65% +/- 10.47% vs 7.13% +/- 7.39%; t=9.06, df=288, p<0.001). The amount of time pharmacists spent in dispensing f unctions had a negative association with knowledge and competencies in the sections on pharmacokinetic and disease process (r=-0.277, p<0.01 ), patient communications (r=-0.272, p<0.01), and administrative and e conomic aspects of practice (r=-0.210, p<0.01) for all respondents. Ph armacists reported that they spent 13.78 +/- 14.06 hours per month out side work in professional lifelong learning. There was a negative asso ciation between the time pharmacists spent dispensing and the time the y spent in professional lifelong learning (r=-0.239, p<0.001), and a p ositive relationship between the time spent in such learning and the t ime providing information to prescribers and other health care profess ionals (r=0.214, p<0.001), monitoring patients (r=0.216, p<0.001), and performing primary care activities (r=0.176, p<0.001). Graduates repo rted a mean yearly salary of $46,879 +/- $8183. More hospital pharmaci sts were involved in teaching (48, 37%) than those practicing in a com munity setting (19, 12%). Conclusions. Practice site, advanced degree or training, lifelong learning, involvement in teaching programs, and time spent in various professional functions were associated with phar macists' self-rated knowledge and competencies.