“Jack of all trades, master of none?” rethinking the value of diversity in pharmacy practice

OBJECTIVE: To understand how mentors and retail pharmacy managers perceive the influence of pharmacy practice diversification on pharmacists' professional identity. METHODS: This qualitative study was carried out with mentors and retail pharmacy managers, selected by purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconference by an experienced researcher. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Federal University of Sergipe (approval number: 4.169.752). The data were analyzed using categorical content analysis, supported by ATLAS.ti software. RESULTS: A total of 19 pharmacists participated in the study, including 10 mentors and 9 retail pharmacy managers. Both groups highlighted positive and negative aspects regarding the diversity of areas in the pharmacy education. The content analysis resulted in central categories, such as increased employability, addressing health needs, fragmentation of professional focus, and fragility in professional identity. Both groups recognized the importance of specialization and the need to reform the curriculum with more in-depth content organized by areas of knowledge. CONCLUSION: The diversification of professional practice presents challenges for pharmacy education and pharmacists' professional identity. The findings suggest the need for a structured educational model based on core professional practice areas and minimum knowledge standards, which can support the development of a solid professional identity responsive to the challenges of the Brazilian healthcare system.