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Rurally Focused BPharm Course: Perceptions of Graduates
Author(s) -
Kemp Sarah M,
Spark M Joy
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy practice and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2055-2335
pISSN - 1445-937X
DOI - 10.1002/j.2055-2335.2010.tb00559.x
Subject(s) - bachelor , metropolitan area , medicine , curriculum , economic shortage , medical education , pharmacy , rural area , perception , rural health , focus group , pharmacist , nursing , pedagogy , sociology , psychology , political science , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , neuroscience , government (linguistics) , law , anthropology
Background The Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) course at La Trobe University, Bendigo campus is rurally focused and aims to address the shortage of pharmacists in rural areas. Aim To ascertain pharmacy graduates' perceptions of the pharmacy indicative curriculum and to explore whether the rural focus of the course influenced their location of employment. Method Cross‐sectional survey of the first 4 cohorts of BPharm graduates from La Trobe University, Bendigo campus. Results Most of the indicative curriculum was perceived to be well covered, with wound management the only topic identified as poorly covered. Graduates from rural backgrounds tended to undertake rural employment. The rural focus of the course did not result in graduates from metropolitan backgrounds undertaking rural employment. Conclusion La Trobe University's BPharm course was perceived by students to prepare them well for practice as a pharmacist. For La Trobe University, Bendigo campus graduates a rural background was a stronge indicator of future rural practice.