Drovandi, Aaron, and Woolley, Torres (2020) Workforce supply of pharmacists in Queensland communities from James Cook University Pharmacy Graduates. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 28 (5). pp. 462-68.

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Abstract

Objective: This study investigates whether the regional pharmacy school at James Cook University in North Queensland is providing graduates geared to address the pharmaceutical needs of the state's regional, rural and remote communities.

Design: A cross-sectional study of practice locations of James Cook University pharmacy graduates in 2019 compared to those from other Australian pharmacy schools.

Participants: Pharmacists from the James Cook University pharmacy program and those from other Australian pharmacy schools working in Queensland.

Main outcome measures: Comparison of the proportion of James Cook University pharmacy graduates practising in the seven Modified Monash Model rurality classifications in Queensland to graduates from other pharmacy schools. Comparison of Index of Relative Social Advantage and Disadvantage for local government areas in these practice locations. Association between Modified Monash Model for hometown and Australian practice locations for domestic James Cook University pharmacy graduates.

Results: Of 973 James Cook University pharmacy graduates, 640 (65.8%) practised within Queensland in 2019. Compared to other Australian pharmacy graduates practising in Queensland at this time, James Cook University graduates had significantly higher odds of practising in local government areas with greater social disadvantage (lower Index of Relative Social Advantage and Disadvantage indices [<975]) and in rural and remote locations. Of 822 domestic James Cook University graduates, 84.5% were from a regional, rural or remote area, and compared to their hometown Modified Monash Model classification, two-thirds of these graduates practised in settings with the same or more rural Modified Monash Model classification.

Conclusions: This study indicates that regional pharmacy schools have potential to attract and retain graduates in regional, rural and remote areas, including disadvantaged and/or rural towns.

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