Attitudes of pharmacy students towards scientific research and academic career in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Academic research is an essential part of undergraduate and post graduate education to become qualified health care professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of pharmacy students towards scientific research and/or academic careers in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey based study was conducted among pharmacy students at King Saud University. A self-administered questionnaire was implemented over a period of 3 months (January to March 2018). RESULTS: A total of 223 students returned the survey. More than one third students (66.3%) agreed that participation in research increased their interest in pursuing a career in research/academic pharmacy. Most students (75.3%) were interested in participating research during the course of study and 73.6% believed that research training should be a compulsory part of teaching curriculum. In addition, more than half of students (54.5%) were interested in higher studies such as PhD after graduation. Most of students (70.3%) ranked lifestyle (73.6%) and earning potential (70.3%) as an important factor for them when choosing a specialty. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy students had positive attitudes towards research activities and they desired to be involved more in research publications. However, addressing the barriers and improving student participation will increase their interest in academic research.