The Perceptions of Young

Pharmacists in Malaysia towards

the Pharmacy Profession and the
Malaysian Pharmacist Professional
Society

Mai Chun Wai, Cheong Wing Loong,

Jack Shen Lim, Lim Ka Keat, David
Chong
 Introduction
• Since the start of the 21st century, the increasing
numbers of pharmacy schools in Malaysia have
resulted in a demographic shift within the
pharmacist profession

• Young pharmacists (aged 35 and below) now

account for an estimated 60% of the Malaysian
pharmacist population

• It is therefore important to consider the

viewpoints of today’s young pharmacists when
policies and regulations are drawn up
 Objectives
• To gain insights into the perceptions of young
pharmacists towards the pharmacist profession
and the professional society

• To identify areas of greatest concern to young

pharmacists

• To establish a perception baseline for the

evaluation of future measures taken by the
professional society and regulatory authorities
 Methodology
• Online survey hosted by SurveyMonkey
• Survey was conducted over a period of 2
months
• Young pharmacists were invited to participate
through social media channels and email
• Results were evaluated using Excel and SPSS
software packages
Results
 Demographics
• 347 pharmacists responded to the survey

• 48.5% of respondents were MPS members

• The median number of years practicing as a

pharmacist was ‘2-3 years’

• The majority of respondents (68.9%) practiced in

public healthcare institutions
 Perception towards the MPS
• Importance of the MPS to the profession
– Not at all important (6.9%)
– Quite important (41.2%)
– Very important (27.3%)
– Essential (22.4%)
Perception towards the MPS (2)
Perception towards the MPS (3)
 Perception of the pharmacist profession
• Majority of respondents were satisfied with
their position as a pharmacist (67%)

• 37.5% of respondents claimed to have

considered leaving the profession
Perception of the pharmacist profession (2)
Perception of the pharmacist profession (3)
• Public perception of pharmacists
– 90.8% of respondents felt that public
understanding of the role of pharmacists was
‘Poor’ or ‘Very Poor’
– 68.3% of respondents felt that public respect for
pharmacists was ‘Poor’ or ‘Very Poor’
– Respondents’ perception of public understanding
and respect for the profession was highly
correlated with their job satisfaction as a
pharmacist
Perception of the pharmacist profession (4)
Perception of the pharmacist profession (5)
 Conclusion
• Young pharmacists are satisfied with their careers
as pharmacists but desire greater recognition and
understanding from the public regarding their
roles and contribution towards healthcare

• Young pharmacists believe that the pharmacist

professional society plays a large role in
championing the interests of the pharmacy
profession and much remains to be done
Thank you