Perception of Pharmacy Graduates on Pharmacy Degree Programmes Conducted by Three Sri Lankan Universities and Their Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Sri Lankan pharmacy education consists of two undergraduate degree programs: Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSc Pharmacy) and Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm). This study aimed to evaluate the perception of pharmacy graduates on pharmacy degree programmes in Sri Lanka and their job satisfaction. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15 June to 15 July 2021 among pharmacy graduates from three selected Sri Lankan universities using a content and face validated and pretested online questionnaire. Among the total number of participants (n = 101), 55% were between 26-30 years and the majority (72%) were females. Of the participants, 46% have either completed or are pursuing a postgraduate degree. More than 95% agreed that it is important to have pharmacy degrees in Sri Lanka while 70% agreed that the quality of pharmacy degree is at a satisfactory level. Almost all the participants believed that the academic standards of the degree, international collaboration with foreign universities, clinical training and industrial training should be improved. Approximately 50% of participants were satisfied with the number of academic staff, library and laboratory facilities, while 61% reported that the number of lecture halls were not sufficient. Studying a pharmacy degree helped 64% of the participants to obtain their desired job. However, only 53% of the participants were satisfied with their current job, and 46% were satisfied with the salary scale. The general perception about pharmacy degree programmes in Sri Lanka is high, however, the satisfaction with facilities available is low.