Perception of managerial and administrative competencies of professional pharmacists in the U.S. Department of Defense.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether executive and junior pharmacists perceive skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKA) items differently.


METHODS
Two-factor split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) mixed design with repeated measures.


METHODS
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).


METHODS
One hundred fifty-one active duty pharmacy officers in DoD, classified as either executive pharmacists (serving in the military grades of lieutenant colonel/commander [0-5] and colonel/captain [0-6], as well as pharmacists selected for promotion to those grades) or junior pharmacists (serving in the military grades of second lieutenant/ensign [0-1], first lieutenant/lieutenant junior grade [0-2], and captain/lieutenant [0-3], as well as pharmacists selected for promotion to those grades).


METHODS
Seven-point relative importance rating scales, with 1 = extremely unimportant to 7 = extremely important, were used to assess respondents' judgments of SKAs.


METHODS
Main effects of group membership (executive versus junior pharmacists), differences among items within eight specific domains, and assessment of potential interaction effects for the dependent variable of SKA item importance ratings.


RESULTS
No main effects for overall rating differences between pharmacist groups were found for any of the eight domains; however, statistically significant and systematic within-main-effect differences were detected for SKA items in all domains. Additionally, statistically significant interaction effects emerged in five of the eight domains.


CONCLUSIONS
The importance ratings given SKAs in the domains of human resources, pharmacy operations and business practices, drug therapy management, and leadership were highly similar between the two groups. However, executive pharmacists tended to place a much greater emphasis on the importance of SKAs within the financial resources and the pharmacy benefit management domains.
Meadows
Andrew B
AB
U.S. Air Force, 75th Medical Group, Ogden, Utah 84056, USA. andrew.meadows@hill.af.mil
Finstuen
Kenn
K
Hudak
Ronald P
RP
Carrillo
Jorge D
JD
Lawrence
Joseph B
JB
Wright
Kevin
K
D000328:Adult; D003697:Delphi Technique; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States