Pharmacists' job satisfaction and perceived utilization of skills

The relationship between job satisfaction and perceived utilization of skil ls among pharmacists practicing in institutional and ambulatory care settin gs in Arizona was studied, and factors thought to influence pharmacists' pe rceived utilization of skills were evaluated. Questionnaires on jab satisfaction and perceived utilization of skills were mailed to a random sample of 600 pharmacists. Information on workplace fac tors such as hours worked, practice setting, and job title was collected. A 4-item measure of general job satisfaction and a 10-item measure of percei ved utilization of skills were used. Responses were measured on a five-poin t Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." The response rate was 35%. There was a significant positive relationship be tween job satisfaction and perceived utilization of skills and between job satisfaction and adequate staffing, where "staffing" referred to factors su ch as competence of coworkers and workload. Pharmacists with training beyon d a B.S. degree in pharmacy were more satisfied with their job than those w hose highest degree was a B.S, in pharmacy. Pharmacists practicing in insti tutional settings, pharmacists with management titles, and older pharmacist s perceived that they were utilizing their skills to a greater extent than did pharmacists practicing in ambulatory care settings, pharmacists with a general staff title, and younger pharmacists. Among a sample of Arizona pharmacists in institutional and ambulatory care settings, job satisfaction was influenced by perceived utilization of skill s, staffing, and education; practice setting, job title, and age were signi ficantly related to perceived utilization of skills.