Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40624503›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2025

Enrollment Motivations, Career Perceptions, and Preferences of Pharmacy Students under a Changing Educational Landscape: An Exploratory Survey at a Single Institution in South Korea.

Youran Noh, Kyung-Bok Son

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Youran NohCollege of Pharmacy, Hanyang University ERICA, 55 Hanyangdaehak-Ro, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, 15588, Republic of Korea.
Kyung-Bok SonCollege of Pharmacy, Hanyang University ERICA, 55 Hanyangdaehak-Ro, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, 15588, Republic of Korea. sonkyungbok@gmail.com.

Funding

National Research Foundation NRF-2023S1A5A8075569
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPharmacy education in South Korea has undergone reforms aimed at diversifying student backgrounds and expanding professional roles. This study investigates students' enrollment motivations, career perceptions, and career preferences at a single institution that admits cohorts under both the two-plus-four-year and six-year integrated systems.

methodsA web-based survey was conducted among all enrolled students at a college of pharmacy in South Korea. Respondents were classified into two main groups: new admissions and transfer students. The new admissions group consisted of students admitted through early and regular admissions under the six-year integrated program. The transfer group included those who entered the college through the previous two-plus-four-year program. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze differences in enrollment motivations and career preferences.

resultsOf the 189 students, 118 completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 62.43%. Economic stability-particularly income and job security-was the primary motivation for entering pharmacy school, but post-graduation preferences were influenced by broader factors. Community pharmacy emerged as the most preferred career path, driven by perceptions of lower workload, job security, and favorable working conditions. Preference for careers in community pharmacy shifted over time-being initially associated with male students and those admitted through regular admission, and later with students who had delayed enrollment. Admission type also played a significant role in shaping career preferences.

conclusionsThe strong preference for community pharmacy reflects not only its perceived benefits but also limited exposure to alternative career paths. Variations by admission type underscore the influence of student background on career trajectories. To foster greater career diversity and fulfill the goals of educational reform, pharmacy schools should expand curricular exposure to careers outside of community pharmacy and implement inclusive admissions strategies that attract students with diverse experiences.

Indexed as

Career ChoiceEducation, PharmacyMotivationSchool Admission CriteriaStudents, PharmacyAdultFemaleHumansMaleRepublic of KoreaSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCareer preferencesEnrollment motivationPharmacy educationQuestionnairesSouth Korea

Identifiers

PMID40624503
PMCPMC12235866

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.