Assessing the Change in Career Choice of Doctor of Pharmacy Students from Second to Sixth Year and the Influencing Factors: A Biphasic Cross- Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Students of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs are presented with several career choices upon graduation. Most studies cross-sectionally evaluated pharmacy students’ career interests, but no study has evaluated the changes throughout the PharmD program. The change in career interests of PharmD students was assessed from early to late in the program and the potential influencing factors.

Methods: The study took place at one of the largest colleges of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah. In this biphasic cross-sectional study, the responses were collected from 2 batches in 2 stages: the 2nd year (pre-phase) and the last year (internship; post-phase). The students were prompted to take the Pharmacist Pathway survey of the American Pharmacists Association. In the post-phase, the students were also asked about the factors that may have influenced the survey results.

Results: Of the 97 students who completed both phases of the study, only 29 (29.9%) had their career choice results in the post-phase matching their pre-phase results based on their overall responses. The most popular careers in the post-phase results were “clinical pharmacy specialist” (11.3%), “pharmaceutical company: sales and marketing” (11.3%), and “Academia: Clinical practice” (10.3%). A significant increase in the result “pharmaceutical company: sales and marketing” was observed from the pre- to the post-phase (1% vs. 11.3%; P = .003). The most influential factors for career choice were the internship year (86.6%), salary/financial incentives (39.2%), and pre-vious graduates’ experiences (35.1%).

Conclusion: These results can be used by decision-makers in pharmacy colleges to take measures, such as enhancing the training experience by allowing training in different pharmacy sectors and inviting previous graduates to share their experiences.

Cite this article as: Thabit AK, Abutaleb WA, Aljahdali HM, Organji DA, Bagalagel AA. Assessing the change in career choice of doctor of pharmacy students from second to sixth year and the influencing factors: A biphasic cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia. Trends in Pharmacy, 2026, 3, 0010, doi: 10.5152/TrendsPharm.2026.25010.