Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions

Background: Evidence of a gender wage gap has been identified across many professions, with some evidence in pharmacy. Negotiation is one potential strategy to address this gap and it is underutilized, especially among women. No studies to date have examined pharmacy student perceptions of negotiati...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Brenda Y. Oh, Richard Violette, Kelly A. Grindrod, Nancy M. Waite, Sherilyn K.D. Houle
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Elsevier 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/300d3d8491874969b1207714ae3e2e18
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:300d3d8491874969b1207714ae3e2e18
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:300d3d8491874969b1207714ae3e2e182021-11-04T04:45:06ZPharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions2667-276610.1016/j.rcsop.2021.100026https://doaj.org/article/300d3d8491874969b1207714ae3e2e182021-06-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276621000263https://doaj.org/toc/2667-2766Background: Evidence of a gender wage gap has been identified across many professions, with some evidence in pharmacy. Negotiation is one potential strategy to address this gap and it is underutilized, especially among women. No studies to date have examined pharmacy student perceptions of negotiation when applying for co-operative education positions – a potential sign of willingness to negotiate for entry-level positions upon graduation. Objectives: To examine pharmacy students' comfort with and ability to engage employers in negotiation over wage and other work-related considerations for mandatory and paid co-operative education work terms at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada). Methods: Two focus groups, one for female and one for male students, were performed with students who had completed at least one co-operative education placement. Focus groups aimed to elucidate students perceived ability to negotiate with potential employers, to identify strategies that educators can employ to better support students through the hiring and negotiation process, and to elicit student perceptions on the gender wage gap in pharmacy. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were coded inductively by two independent reviewers, employing thematic analysis. Results: Three major and two minor themes were identified: Preservation of the relationship; Power differential and perceived ability to negotiate; Institutional support and training; Negative experience with negotiation and wage gaps; and the presence of a gendered approach to negotiation. Pharmacy students rarely engage in negotiation during co-operative hiring processes at the University of Waterloo, with some female students expressing hesitation to negotiate due to concerns about being perceived as “bossy”. Students of both genders felt poorly equipped to engage in negotiation with a potential employer, and lacked confidence in initiating such a conversation. Conclusions: Students identified a number of factors which influence their ability and desire to negotiate wages during co-op placement, including the requirements and logistics of placements, the perceived power imbalance between students and potential employers, and a concern that any wage negotiation may overshadow the value placed by students on the opportunities to provide patient care. Educators can play a role in equipping students, especially female students, with tools to enter into conversations on wages with potential employers.Brenda Y. OhRichard VioletteKelly A. GrindrodNancy M. WaiteSherilyn K.D. HouleElsevierarticlePharmacy studentsGenderNegotiationSalariesEmploymentPharmacy and materia medicaRS1-441ENExploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Vol 2, Iss , Pp 100026- (2021)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Pharmacy students
Gender
Negotiation
Salaries
Employment
Pharmacy and materia medica
RS1-441
spellingShingle Pharmacy students
Gender
Negotiation
Salaries
Employment
Pharmacy and materia medica
RS1-441
Brenda Y. Oh
Richard Violette
Kelly A. Grindrod
Nancy M. Waite
Sherilyn K.D. Houle
Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
description Background: Evidence of a gender wage gap has been identified across many professions, with some evidence in pharmacy. Negotiation is one potential strategy to address this gap and it is underutilized, especially among women. No studies to date have examined pharmacy student perceptions of negotiation when applying for co-operative education positions – a potential sign of willingness to negotiate for entry-level positions upon graduation. Objectives: To examine pharmacy students' comfort with and ability to engage employers in negotiation over wage and other work-related considerations for mandatory and paid co-operative education work terms at the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada). Methods: Two focus groups, one for female and one for male students, were performed with students who had completed at least one co-operative education placement. Focus groups aimed to elucidate students perceived ability to negotiate with potential employers, to identify strategies that educators can employ to better support students through the hiring and negotiation process, and to elicit student perceptions on the gender wage gap in pharmacy. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were coded inductively by two independent reviewers, employing thematic analysis. Results: Three major and two minor themes were identified: Preservation of the relationship; Power differential and perceived ability to negotiate; Institutional support and training; Negative experience with negotiation and wage gaps; and the presence of a gendered approach to negotiation. Pharmacy students rarely engage in negotiation during co-operative hiring processes at the University of Waterloo, with some female students expressing hesitation to negotiate due to concerns about being perceived as “bossy”. Students of both genders felt poorly equipped to engage in negotiation with a potential employer, and lacked confidence in initiating such a conversation. Conclusions: Students identified a number of factors which influence their ability and desire to negotiate wages during co-op placement, including the requirements and logistics of placements, the perceived power imbalance between students and potential employers, and a concern that any wage negotiation may overshadow the value placed by students on the opportunities to provide patient care. Educators can play a role in equipping students, especially female students, with tools to enter into conversations on wages with potential employers.
format article
author Brenda Y. Oh
Richard Violette
Kelly A. Grindrod
Nancy M. Waite
Sherilyn K.D. Houle
author_facet Brenda Y. Oh
Richard Violette
Kelly A. Grindrod
Nancy M. Waite
Sherilyn K.D. Houle
author_sort Brenda Y. Oh
title Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
title_short Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
title_full Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
title_fullStr Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
title_full_unstemmed Pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
title_sort pharmacy students' perceived willingness and ability to negotiate for paid co-operative education positions
publisher Elsevier
publishDate 2021
url https://doaj.org/article/300d3d8491874969b1207714ae3e2e18
work_keys_str_mv AT brendayoh pharmacystudentsperceivedwillingnessandabilitytonegotiateforpaidcooperativeeducationpositions
AT richardviolette pharmacystudentsperceivedwillingnessandabilitytonegotiateforpaidcooperativeeducationpositions
AT kellyagrindrod pharmacystudentsperceivedwillingnessandabilitytonegotiateforpaidcooperativeeducationpositions
AT nancymwaite pharmacystudentsperceivedwillingnessandabilitytonegotiateforpaidcooperativeeducationpositions
AT sherilynkdhoule pharmacystudentsperceivedwillingnessandabilitytonegotiateforpaidcooperativeeducationpositions
_version_ 1718445200230055936