Pharmacists' earnings determinants: differences by ethnic group

Objectives The purpose of this paper was to explore the behaviour of wage-and-salary earnings of non-Hispanic white, black and Hispanic pharmacists. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the responses to a survey questionnaire. The survey was administered to licensed pharmacists in South Florida between September 2006 and March 2007. The main outcome measures of the study were the response of pharmacists' wage-and-salary earnings to the number of hours worked, human-capital stock and job-related preferences. Key findings The earnings responses of non-Hispanic white and Hispanic pharmacists largely conformed to patterns reported in the literature, but the earnings of black pharmacists did not. Significant ethnic differences in the effect of the explanatory variables were detected. Conclusions The earnings-determination model developed here was suitable for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic pharmacists, but not for black pharmacists. Pharmacists' earnings-determination processes must address ethnicity-related issues.