International health worker migration: the case of GB-registered pharmacists

1. International health worker migration: the case of GB-registeredpharmacists Professor Karen Hassell Global health, Justice and the �Brain Drain� Conference, Keele University 17th September 2007 I�m not an expert on migration or matters to do with the concept of �brain drain�, but I am an expert on the pharmacy labour market and employment issues as they relate to pharmacists and (but to a lesser extent) their support staff. This presentation is based on research conducted a few years ago and forms part of a large program of workforce research that I manage at the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies at the University of Manchester. Most of that research is driven by the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the pharmacy workforce in the UK, and to understand the factors that influence its structure and the skills and competencies of its members. It is in part also about helping to identify human resource challenges facing the pharmacy sector. I�m a sociologist by disciplinary background, although I have now worked in pharmacy practice research for 16 years. My PhD was concerned with sociological explanations for employment patterns of minority ethnic pharmacists in the profession. My plan is to speak for around 40 minutes and I�ll be happy to take questions at the end of the presentation, and I�ll also be around for the first half of the conference and would be happy to chat further then. I�m not an expert on migration or matters to do with the concept of �brain drain�, but I am an expert on the pharmacy labour market and employment issues as they relate to pharmacists and (but to a lesser extent) their support staff. This presentation is based on research conducted a few years ago and forms part of a large program of workforce research that I manage at the Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies at the University of Manchester. Most of that research is driven by the need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the pharmacy workforce in the UK, and to understand the factors that influence its structure and the skills and competencies of its members. It is in part also about helping to identify human resource challenges facing the pharmacy sector. I�m a sociologist by disciplinary background, although I have now worked in pharmacy practice research for 16 years. My PhD was concerned with sociological explanations for employment patterns of minority ethnic pharmacists in the profession. My plan is to speak for around 40 minutes and I�ll be happy to take questions at the end of the presentation, and I�ll also be around for the first half of the conference and would be happy to chat further then.

2. Acknowledgements Liza Nichols � PhD Student Peter Noyce � other supervisor RPSGB � funding The pharmacists themselves