A Qualitative Study on the Career Choice Process and Construction of Meaning among Novice Pharmacy Students

Background: Professional identity among novice health professions students is fluid and context-dependent, constructed through narratives that integrate personal experience and social expectations.Following Korea's transition to a six-year pharmacy program directly admitting high school graduates, little is known about how new entrants construct and interpret their career choices.Objective: This study explored how first-and second-year pharmacy students narrate their choice of pharmacy and how early collegiate experiences shape career reflection.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 first-and second-year students at a pharmacy school.Transcripts were thematically analyzed using category aggregation, with credibility enhanced through triangulation and participant feedback.Results: Students' narratives revealed four main drivers of career choice: strong family influence, personal interests and dispositions, admissions and institutional structures, and selective preference for pharmacy over medicine.Career values centered on stability, economic security, and social prestige, though some emphasized intrinsic interest and growth.Early curricular activities and peer interactions broadened perspectives toward research, industry, and regulatory roles.A minority reported lack of direction and motivation, showing that secure admission alone did not ensure sustained purpose.Conclusion: Findings align with prior research in health professions, underscoring the powerful role of family expectations and sociocultural context.Students demonstrated nascent career narratives strongly influenced by external factors, highlighting the importance of educational opportunities that promote narrative reflection.Structured interventions such as seminars, mentoring, and diverse career role models may foster intentional exploration and the formation of a mature professional identity.