Factors influencing career orientation of graduating pharmacy students in Can Tho, Vietnam

Background: Career orientation plays a crucial role in both individual and collective success and productivity. Research findings in this area in Vietnam, especially the Mekong Delta, are limited. Objectives: This study aimed to explore factors associated with the career orientation of graduating final-year pharmacy students in Can Tho, Vietnam. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on final-year undergraduate students majoring in Pharmacy at three universities offering Pharmacy programmes in Can Tho City, from June 2022 to June 2023. Principal component analysis and Varimax rotation were used to identify factors associated with career orientation in 520 students. Results: Four groups of factors were found to be associated with students’ decisions. Job-related factors were found to have the strongest association, followed by educational process factors, personal factors, and family, friends, and society factors. Conclusion: Four groups of factors were found to be significantly associated with the career orientation of graduating final-year pharmacy students. These results will inform policymakers and the research community in the future design of evidence-based policies in Vietnam.