title: Factors affecting the recruitment and retention of pharmacists to practice sites in rural and remote areas of New South Wales: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore factors affecting recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural/remote areas of New South Wales (NSW).
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative semistructured in-depth interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary care--rural/remote community pharmacies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Purposive sample of 12 community pharmacists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Factors affecting recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural/remote areas of NSW.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents reported a variety of personal and professional reasons for taking up rural practice, including previous rural experience and a preference for working in rural over metropolitan areas. The main factor affecting retention in rural areas was the high level of professional satisfaction and interprofessional rapport. Perceived reasons for the current under-supply of pharmacists to rural/remote areas of NSW included changing demographics of the pharmacy undergraduate degree programs and pharmacy workforce, and negative perceptions of rural pharmacy practice and rural lifestyle.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified factors believed to affect recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural/remote areas. There appears to be considerable overlap between the factors, with different weightings of importance for different individuals. The lack of consensus for a proposed method of resolving this problem highlights its complexity and the need for further studies in this area.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: Parisa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aslani
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D009517:New South Wales; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D000078329:Workforce