Images of pharmacy as a career: a survey among groups of year 12 students at school

To explore the images and perceptions of pharmacy with potential applicants to undergraduate pharmacy education. There is currently considerable interest in the UK in studying aspects of the pharmacy profession because of the changing pharmacy agenda and the need to understand the workforce and its motivations. Aim: To explore the images and perceptions of pharmacy with potential applicants to undergraduate pharmacy education. Design: Four interactive focus groups involving 40 volunteer year 12 students (age 17). The focus group theme plan was designed after a review of relevant literature. A novel approach was employed using photographic images of pharmacists and doctors in varied settings. Subjects and setting: The research was carried out in six schools in the West Midlands, UK. Results: The students presented a rather negative image of pharmacy as a boring occupation in a laboratory or the back of a shop. Most had little idea of what pharmacists actually do. Unlike nursing, they were unaware of positive role models in the media. The small number who did have a realistic idea of pharmacy based it on their previous work experience in pharmacy. Conclusions: The focus group technique is useful for exploring hitherto untapped perceptions of the profession. Undertaking research with year 12 students provided some useful insights into the ways in which pharmacy as a profession is perceived. Although no claims to generalisability are made here, the results were fed into the design of quantitative surveys. The somewhat negative image presented suggests that the profession has more work to do in marketing itself to young people as a potential career choice.

Employment law:an introduction for HR and business students

The Aston Centre for Human Resources (ACHR) was created at Aston Business School, Aston University, in February 2006. The mission of the Centre is both to inform and influence practice through conducting high quality, challenging research in order to extend the existing theoretical frameworks and to develop new and relevant conceptual models to represent and guide the changing realities facing businesses and the people they employ in the 21st century. * Students studying an Employment Law module on a HR or general business degree, whether undergraduate or postgraduate. * Students taking the Employment Law elective on the CIPD's Professional Development Scheme (PDS). * Students studying Employee Relations or Diversity. This new edition has been thoroughly updated, and includes expanded coverage of the impact of EU Law, and Discrimination Law including ageism, sexual orientation, religious belief, harassment and disability. The text is ideal text for those business students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses who are taking a first module in Employment Law. It covers a comprehensive range of topics enabling students to gain a solid understanding of the key principles of the subject. The engaging, authoritative writing style and range of learning features make this a refreshingly accessible and student-friendly read. Each chapter includes summaries of topical and relevant cases, direction to key sources of legal information and suggestions for further reading whilst covering the CIPD’s standards for the Employment Law elective on the Professional Development Scheme (PDS). This text includes a range of case studies, tasks and examples to consolidate learning and includes a brand new section on Employment Law study skills to help students get to grips with how to access and read law reports, understand the sources of the law, find and use up-to-date legal information (particularly websites) and how to prepare for exams and written assignments.