title: The Australian pharmacist workforce: employment status, practice profile and job satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims were to determine Australian registered pharmacists' current employment status, practice profile and professional satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was mailed to all registered pharmacists (n=7764) on the Pharmacy Boards of Victoria and South Australia's registers; 19 were returned undeliverable. Quantitative data were entered and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 17. Qualitative data were subjected to a thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1627 (21%) pharmacists responded: 259 (16%) were registered as pharmacists but no longer worked in the pharmacy profession. A total of 1366 respondents reported still working as pharmacists. Of the 1366, 912 (67%) indicated that they spend most of their time in a clinical area; 233 (17%) spend most of their time in 'non-clinical pharmacist work (i.e. dispensing as technical supply)'; 216 (16%) worked in other non-clinical roles and; 1053 (77%) were professionally satisfied.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Measuring the pharmacist workforce based on registration data significantly overestimates the available clinical pharmacist workforce: 708 (44%) respondents were no longer working in the profession, were not mainly involved in clinical practice or were working in non-clinical roles. A significant re-professionalisation program is needed if pharmacists' unique knowledge and skills are to contribute to better healthcare delivery.
authors.affiliation: Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, Sansom Institute for Health Research, School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. Sook.Mak@mymail.unisa.edu.au
authors.forename: Vivienne S L
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: March
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D004651:Employment / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005178:Faculty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D054539:Medication Therapy Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000458:organization & administration; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000145:classification / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D024382:Professional Role; D013021:South Australia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria; D055815:Young Adult