Developing and Writing the Thesis: Difficulty Perceived by Pharmacists to Graduate as Hospital Pharmacy Specialist

Introduction: Hospital Pharmacy Specialization (HPS) is a postgraduate career for pharmacists at the National University of Córdoba and the first in Argentina. It is a six semester’s course organized by units. Objective: To analyze and compare the difficulties perceived by the pharmacists for obtaining the specialist title, in two different moments of the HPS career. Methodology: Investigational study of pharmacists’ perception using a nominal group technique in two different moments of the didactic curriculum. Results: Nineteen hospital pharmacists participated in the first workshop identifying 16 barriers, while 15 professionals in the second meeting perceived 15 difficulties. All of them were HPS students. Difficulties were grouped in six themes: research/thesis, time, data access, financing, knowledge, and others. Conclusions: In both moments of the course, pharmacists prioritized the barriers related to the research necessary to develop the thesis. Minor barriers as English knowledge and Informatics were overcome from one year to another.