ERIC Number: ED657167
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 215
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3828-3509-9
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
"Is Pharmacy Even for Me?" Aspirations and Persistence of Black, Native American, and Latine Pharmacy Students
Sara Robinson
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo
Historically, racially marginalized communities are less likely to access health care, partly due to structural inequities as well as distrust for white providers. This need for increased racial and ethnic representation is specifically an issue in the pharmacist career, as more than 90% of the United States population lives within five miles of a pharmacy, making pharmacists one of the most accessible health care providers. The scarcity of pharmacists from diverse backgrounds is mirrored in their underrepresentation in associated university programs of study. While the literature to date has focused mainly on the barriers and obstacles marginalized youth have encountered, far less has studied the strategies of those who successfully navigated this pathway. More research was needed that utilizes a relevant framework centering the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Latine pharmacy students. Throughout this phenomenological study, I learned from future pharmacists how their lived experiences were shaped as underrepresented-in-pharmacy students who aspired to and persisted in this program of study. Utilizing the community cultural wealth model as a theoretical framework and drawing on data collected from semi-structured in-depth interviews with 20 pharmacy students and new alumni, I learned how these students acted as the agents of change in their pharmacy journey, forming aspirations and maintaining persistence by drawing from their capitals, all while generating motivational and emotional support from their trusted community. These students' experiences in pharmacy education have not been characterized merely by a collection of obstacles and barriers to overcome as prior research has suggested, but rather were indicative of their agency exercised throughout a series of intentional decisions and strategies employed to stay on course with their aspirations to achieve their goals. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Disproportionate Representation, Pharmaceutical Education, Pharmacy, Health Personnel, African American Students, Indigenous Populations, Hispanic American Students, Student Attitudes, Alumni, Academic Aspiration, Academic Persistence, Educational Experience, Student Educational Objectives, Personal Autonomy, Intention, Decision Making, College Students
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A