title: Pharmacist, the pharmaceutical industry and pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia: A questionnaire-based study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Saudi Arabia there is an estimated need of more than 100,000 pharmacy graduates to cover all present sectors. The shortage of pharmacists has affected many of these sectors especially the pharmaceutical industry. The contribution of Saudi pharmacists to local pharmaceuticals industry would be extremely beneficial and important for shaping the future of the drug industry within the Kingdom. It is not clear whether future Saudi pharmacists are willing to contribute to local pharmaco-industrial fields.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted on all final-year pharmacy students in King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of a total of 130 students registered in the final-year of the pharmacy program in KSU, 122 (93.8%) were able to complete the questionnaire. The results showed that the majority (83%) of Saudi pharmacy students indicated that they had not received practical training in the pharmaceutical companies, while only 17.2% of the students felt that they had the knowledge and the skills to work in the pharmaceutical industry after graduation. The majority of the students (66.7%) chose clinical pharmacy as their future career field while only 10.9% indicated willingness to work in a pharmaceutical industry career. Only 8.2% selected working in the pharmaceutical industry. The significant predictor of possibly choosing a career in the local drug industry is a student with a bachelor's degree (compared to Pharm D degree) in pharmacy (OR = 2.7 [95% CI 1.1-6.3]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pharmacy students who are enrolled in the capital city of Riyadh are not properly trained to play an influential role in local drug companies. As a result, their level of willingness to have a career in such important business is not promising (more among Pharm D program). Future research in other pharmacy colleges within Saudi Arabia is needed to confirm such results.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bin Saleh
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ; Taibah University, School of Medicine and Applied Health Sciences, Medina, Saudi Arabia ; Andor Labs, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Naser L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laika
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El-Metwally
keywords: Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacist; Pharmacy education; Saudi Arabia