Navigating Burnout in the Pharmacy

I recently sat down with Jason Perepelkin, a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, to discuss his interesting and important research on burnout and fatigue within the pharmacy community.

Burnout, according to Psychology Today, “is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by problems at work, it can also appear in other areas of life, such as parenting, caretaking, or romantic relationships.”

Thanks, Jason, for taking the time to share your expertise. What inspired you to research burnout among pharmacy leaders and the relationship between anxiety and work engagement?

I have been in the pharmacy space for over two decades now. A common theme I’ve heard from pharmacists over the years is how demands are increasing, and with fewer resources and supports come increasing incidences of burnout.

I wanted to better understand if pharmacists felt like burnout was increasing in the profession more broadly, or whether it was just the ones I have spoken to. On top of understanding if burnout is prevalent and/or increasing, I also wanted to eventually come up with some resources and potential methods to help prevent burnout and to help those who are burnt out recover quicker.

Can you summarize the key findings of your papers and how they impact the daily practice of pharmacists and pharmacy leaders for our readers?

Some key findings from our studies include the fact that if you’re female and/or have caring responsibilities at home (e.g., child(ren), aging parent(s), etc.), you’re more likely to be burnt out. As well, employees who are engaged in their work are less likely to be burned out, and work engagement appears to be an antidote to burnout.

We also found that pharmacy leaders perceive a disconnect among front-line pharmacists and other stakeholders, including management, insurers, regulators, and governments. They have a cautious optimism toward the ever-expanding scope of pharmacist practice, and yet they are cautious because if pharmacists are simply going to be expected to do more with the same resources, then it won’t work.

Front-line pharmacists speak of the high-pressure work environment, with an emphasis on performance metrics and targets they have to meet, despite the realities of the work environment. It seems that the current environment gives pause to many that, while being able to do more for patients with an expanded scope of practice is nice in theory, if the model of practice doesn’t change, then it will only make things worse for those on the front lines.

What unique perspectives on burnout did you uncover among pharmacy leaders? Is there anything unique about the psychology or profession of pharmacy that should be noted?

The interesting finding, and one that we did not expect, perhaps naively, is that pharmacy leaders feel trapped, too. We found that they only have “power” over a relatively small group, and that there are a lot of stakeholders impacting the work pharmacists do: from employers to insurance providers to regulators to governments, and even other health care professionals.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from your research that you think every pharmacist should know? What areas of research do you think need further exploration in the context of pharmacy practice and mental health?

The one key thing I’ve learnt doing this work is that pharmacists appreciate me doing this research, and they feel someone is “finally” paying attention to them. Many have thanked me after an interview for listening and said talking with me was like a therapy session, so perhaps I should’ve charged them to talk with me instead of providing them with a gift card for sharing their experiences?! I’m kidding, of course, but it’s nice to know that these pharmacists feel valued and heard.

Pharmacists need to listen to the advice they provide patients and to look after themselves. If you leave a job or employer, they’ll simply replace you with someone else; however, you cannot replace your family, and you need to look after your own mental and physical health.

If you cannot perform the way you should, then that increases the chances of errors that could harm patients. While burnout is a workplace phenomenon, you cannot separate your work and personal life; they are intimately tied together, so what happens at work will be brought home and vice versa.

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That makes sense.

Pharmacists also need to be aware of the supports available to them, such as counselling and wellness programs, and to know that if you access those services, that are perhaps provides through your employer, that your employer does not know who accessed services or what services individuals accessed; they will simply know that services were accessed on an aggregate level. In some cases, employers may see that the number of counselling sessions accessed has increased, which likely indicates there’s a reason why these services are needed; this may open the opportunity for employers to better understand the realities their employees are facing.

The number-one issue that should be addressed is human resources. For reasons we won’t get into here, there are shortages of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in most jurisdictions across Canada, so sometimes increasing the number of pharmacists or techs working in the pharmacy is not always feasible.

There is a similar, if not exact, situation in the United States.

If this is the case, it might be time to assess whether operating hours need to be reduced to not spread the pharmacy’s human resources too thin. Other resources that can help prevent burnout include working in a supportive environment, one where psychological safety is high and employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns, but also suggestions on ways to improve the work environment. Allowing employees to have autonomy in how they practice and input into decision-making processes can help as well. Furthermore, while all pharmacists have to complete continuing education and professional development, having time to pursue what they have an interest in can be a benefit to the pharmacy and employees.