Table 2.
Awareness of professional certification programs among study participants.
| Items | Study Participants (N = 394) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage (%) | |
| -Are you aware of the availability of professional certification programs for pharmacists in Saudi Arabia? | ||
| No | 106 | 26.9% |
| Yes | 288 | 73.1% |
| -How did you become aware of these certification programs? | ||
| Online search | 203 | 51.5% |
| Colleagues or peers | 204 | 51.8% |
| Professional associations | 141 | 35.8% |
| Employer or workplace | 136 | 34.5% |
| Social media | 5 | 1.3% |
|
-Please rate your agreement with the following statements [Professional certification enhances career opportunities.] | ||
| Strongly agree | 191 | 48.5% |
| Agree | 99 | 25.1% |
| Neutral | 44 | 11.2% |
| Disagree | 13 | 3.3% |
| Strongly disagree | 47 | 11.9% |
| [Certified pharmacists provide better patient care.] | ||
| Strongly agree | 163 | 41.4% |
| Agree | 108 | 27.4% |
| Neutral | 58 | 14.7% |
| Disagree | 21 | 5.3% |
| Strongly disagree | 44 | 11.2% |
| [Certification leads to higher earning potential.] | ||
| Strongly agree | 148 | 37.6% |
| Agree | 116 | 29.4% |
| Neutral | 64 | 16.2% |
| Disagree | 23 | 5.8% |
| Strongly disagree | 43 | 10.9% |
| [Certification demonstrates commitment to the pharmacy profession.] | ||
| Strongly agree | 156 | 39.6% |
| Agree | 100 | 25.4% |
| Neutral | 68 | 17.3% |
| Disagree | 18 | 4.6% |
| Strongly disagree | 52 | 13.2% |
| [Professional certification improves skills and makes pharmacy practicing easier.] | ||
| Strongly agree | 174 | 44.2% |
| Agree | 101 | 25.6% |
| Neutral | 61 | 15.5% |
| Disagree | 19 | 4.8% |
| Strongly disagree | 39 | 9.9% |
|
-Please indicate the extent to which each of the following factors acts as a barrier to pursuing professional certification on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not a barrier, and 5 is a significant barrier. [Lack of awareness about available certifications] | ||
| 1 | 36 | 9.1% |
| 2 | 42 | 10.7% |
| 3 | 103 | 26.1% |
| 4 | 83 | 21.1% |
| 5 | 130 | 33.0% |
| [Time constraints] | ||
| 1 | 25 | 6.3% |
| 2 | 49 | 12.4% |
| 3 | 112 | 28.4% |
| 4 | 114 | 28.9% |
| 5 | 94 | 23.9% |
| [Financial constraints] | ||
| 1 | 20 | 5.1% |
| 2 | 47 | 11.9% |
| 3 | 110 | 27.9% |
| 4 | 91 | 23.1% |
| 5 | 126 | 32.0% |
| [Difficulty in finding relevant certification programs] | ||
| 1 | 40 | 10.2% |
| 2 | 61 | 15.5% |
| 3 | 102 | 25.9% |
| 4 | 75 | 19.0% |
| 5 | 116 | 29.4% |