2017 Volume 43 Issue 8 Pages 465-473
As they prepare to enter the world of work, university students must use the knowledge and experience gained from their long-term practical training and study at universities to imagine a career path for themselves and decide on their next step after graduation. Therefore, we investigated the students who are planning to work in hospitals or pharmacies as pharmacists in order to understand their thoughts on their future careers and used this information to consider what should be taught in universities. Defining the study group as sixth-year students at this university, we (1) asked questions about their specializations as pharmacists, job positions in the workplace, and views on changing jobs or transferring for career advancement (conjoint analysis) and (2) conducted an open-ended questionnaire survey related to their visions regarding their future (content analysis). The results showed that students tended to aim for generalist rather than specialist positions, gave little thought to or showed little concern for their workplace, and pictured themselves advancing in their careers by continuously working at the same location without transferring or changing jobs (lifetime employment). In addition, it was revealed that there is a gender difference in consciousness to specializations and job positions. For these reasons, it is important that universities teach students about the realities of career paths in hospitals and pharmacies, as well as the career planning and career autonomy required to achieve their visions for the future.
