“Trying to develop a better workforce”: Stakeholders’ perspectives of a practice-integrated Australian hospital pharmacist foundation residency program

Background: Practice-integrated education and professional development programs (also known as residencies), have been available to pharmacists in America and the United Kingdom for many years. In 2016, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia launched Australia’s novel Foundation Residency Program to support the development of early-career pharmacists, and has been implemented across many hospitals nationally. This model was adopted by the South Australian (SA) public hospital pharmacy statewide service and was granted full accreditation. The study aimed to explore key stakeholders’ expectations and early perceptions of the structure, role and impact of the SA program and in that process, to identify key influencing factors and strategies informing future program planning and design. Methods: Purposeful sampling was adopted to recruit participants who oversee preceptors and residents, across all employment levels and pharmacy service sites. Stakeholders participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcribed dataset was managed using NVivo softwareTM (version 10) and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis through the lens of the PRECEDE-PROCEED logic model framework. Results: Thirty-three staff consented to participate. Participants were de-identified with a randomly assigned code number. Three key themes were identified using reflexive thematic analysis; alignment of program goals and visions, culture shift to prioritising workforce development as core business, program structure supports focused workforce development. Conclusions: Participants view the residency as beneficial for development of the residents, preceptors, and the hospital pharmacy workforce. The multisite structure was a strength of the program. Whilst it was acknowledged that the rotations, cross-site rotations, and research project presented challenges, they were deemed worth the investment. Overall, it was felt that incremental increases in program capacity will occur over time, as culture changes, and as investing in workforce development becomes core business. The findings have led to several key recommendations to guide program expansion.