Background: In Japan, although many new pharmacy graduates are keen to find work, the number of new job openings for hospital pharmacists is limited. In this survey, we explored the attitudes toward work among hospital pharmacists working in large group hospitals in order to help pharmacy students make informed career decisions.
Methods: A cross-sectional, self-administered survey of 614 hospital pharmacists working in 66 institutions of the Tokushukai Hospital Group across Japan was conducted.
Results: The proportion of usable data from surveyed pharmacists was 71.7%. Approximately 80% of the respondents desired to commit to careers in the healthcare field and were keen to gain opportunities for personal development. Personal development was the key item among reasons given for decisions about workplace and turnover. About 95% of the pharmacists surveyed were satisfied with their jobs. Compared to the job satisfaction level of other workers, that of pharmacists was considerably higher, although only 5.5% of pharmacists saw themselves staying in their current job until retirement. Job satisfaction data demonstrated significant differences among cohorts of age and years employed, although some specific items associated with job satisfaction could not be identified. Future work plans were influenced by age and job satisfaction.
Conclusion: This study suggests that pharmacists working in group hospitals nurture positive expectations for their careers. Management needs to make greater efforts to understand the professional characteristics of hospital pharmacists in order to better utilize their professional abilities and skills for patient care and for the benefit of other healthcare professionals.

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