Pharmacists as care providers: Personal attributes of recent pharmacy graduates

Objectives. To determine the extent to which recent pharmacy graduates perceived themselves as care-givers, and to identify differences between respondents' possessing caring attributes and their belief that these were desirable in a pharmacist. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered, online survey instrument asking 402 PharmD graduates to indicate to what extent they felt they had obtained 16 personal attributes appropriate to their responsibilities to patients. Outcome measures included the degree to which graduates believed they possessed the attributes and the desirability of possessing these attributes. Results. Most of the 95 respondents agreed they possessed the attributes under study and many agreed that these attributes were desirable. There were statistically significant differences between genders, mostly associated with the dealing with uncertainty and leadership domains. Conclusion. Pharmacy curricula appear effective, at least partly, in instilling confidence in graduates to provide direct patient care.