Table 1 Survey items

Respondent attributes

Sex [sex (male)], Age[Age: 20 s/30 s/40 s/50 s/60 s/over 70 s], Region of residence, Undergraduate courses (6-year course /4-year course), University of origin (national/private), Last educational background (bachelor's degree / doctoral or master's degree) [ Highest educational background (doctoral or master's degree)], Graduate school (national/private), Current position: Management, etc., Experience of changing jobs

Life events experienced

Marriage, Childbirth, Maternity Leave, Childcare, Nursing care, Job change, Transfer, etc

Experiences gained in pharmacy school

Experience in attending academic conferences [Experience participating in academic conferences during pharmacy school], Experience presenting at academic conferences [Experience presenting at academic conferences during pharmacy school], Paper submission experience, Experience with courses in health economics, Pharmacoeconomics, Pharmacoinformatics, pharmaco-therapeutics, etc. Pharmacoeconomics, Pharmacoeconomics, Pharmacoinformatics, Pharmacotherapeutics, etc. [Course experience during pharmacy school], PBL learning experience, Experience with laboratory assignments [Experience in laboratory assignments], Experience in writing a thesis, Experience meeting role models during clinical practice (practical training, etc.) while enrolled in pharmacy school [Meeting a role model]

Physical environmental factors at your facility

Number of full-time pharmacists at your facility: Hospital pharmacist [More than 16 full-time pharmacists], Community pharmacist [More than 3 full-time pharmacists], Facility size: Hospital pharmacist [Affiliated with large hospitals], Community pharmacist [Affiliated with pharmacy chains or DS], Frequency of information exchange with prescribing physician: Hospital pharmacist [Frequency of information exchange is more than once/week], Community pharmacist [Frequency of information exchange is more than once/month], Subsidy system for self-improvement [Subsidy system], Opportunities to report on what you have learned and experienced [Opportunities to report learning]

Human environmental factors at your facility

Presence of a pharmacist who can be consulted regarding daily operations and drug questions, A presence that can be consulted when conducting research activities such as academic conference presentations [Presence of a pharmacist to consult], Presence of colleagues who can attend academic conferences and training sessions together [Friends to join together], Experience participating in practical training workshops [Experience in participating in workshops], Experience in teaching interns in the past year [Experience in supervising interns]

The status of self-learning/ self-improvement motivation after employment

Experience presenting at academic conferences [Experience presenting at academic conferences], Number of types of self-improvement experienced in the past year (e.g., participation in workshops) [Number of types of self-improvement], Self-improvement currently being undertaken or not [Execution of self-improvement], Assignments given by your institution [Assignment from your facility], Experience participating in academic conferences, Hurdles in research activities, Willingness to present at future academic conferences, Post-employment experience submitting papers, Memberships in academic societies at this time, Experience in obtaining certifications such as certified specialty pharmacy technician advisor, Affiliation with prefectural, municipal, or other pharmacists' associations or hospital pharmacists' associations, The most important matters in engaging in research activities, lifelong learning, and other self-improvement activities