(208) An Assessment of Voluntary and Involuntary Part-time Pharmacists

Objective : Pharmacists working part-time have been identified in national workforce surveys but few analyses have focused on them, particularly related to whether their part-time status was voluntary or involuntary.

This study aimed to (1) describe the characteristics of pharmacists working part-time, and (2) compare voluntary part-time pharmacists with involuntary part-time pharmacists.

Methods: Data were analyzed for 646 (14.2 percent) of respondents from the 2019 National Pharmacy Workforce Survey (NPWS) that reported working part-time (30 hours or less per week). Pharmacist characteristics, work characteristics, reasons for working part-time, and work life variables were compared for pharmacists working part-time voluntarily or involuntarily using frequencies and chi-square.

Results: A significantly higher proportion of females reported working part-time relative to males. (15.9% vs. 11.8%) and married pharmacists vs. not married (16.4% vs. 11.8%). About one-quarter (25.3%) of pharmacists were working part-time involuntarily and those pharmacists were younger, single, non-white and working in large chain settings. Pharmacists involuntarily working part-time were significantly more likely to report less favorable and consistent work schedules, lower input into days and hours worked, working at more than one location and receiving their work schedule on short notice. Involuntary part-time pharmacists also were less satisfied with their jobs and reported higher work-home conflict, primarily due to feeling disconnected from their primary employing organization. There were no differences in terms of reported job stress and job control.

Conclusions: Compared to voluntary, pharmacists working part-time involuntarily report less flexibility and voice in their work schedule, while also having lower job satisfaction and connection with their employers. This can have implications if involuntarily working part-time is a phenomenon that persists within the pharmacist workforce.