Background.

Pharmacy has long been regarded as a profession with ample opportunity for career growth and personal satisfaction. The salary is good and the investment in tuition is less than medical schools because many programs allow students to graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in six short years. Unfortunately, the profession appears to be in a state of flux, leaving pharmacists scrambling in the midst of the changing healthcare landscape and declining employment opportunities. Pharmacists are increasingly being pushed to work unbelievable hours thanks to miniscule reimbursements on prescriptions that leave pharmacies too tight on cash to adequately employ enough staff. Rather than complete the degree in six years, the average student is spending four years obtaining an undergraduate degree prior to committing to four additional years in the graduate program. On top of that, in order to be competitive in the job market, recent graduates are being forced into at least a year of residency training where they work twice as hard for half as much money. One recent study identified a burnout rate of 61.2% overall and 52.9% rate of high emotional exhaustion among clinical pharmacists (1).

 

In November of 2018, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) issued a statement on commitment to the well-being and resiliency of pharmacists and pharmacy personnel, which includes student pharmacists. Founded in 1852, APhA is the largest association of pharmacists in the United States, with more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians as members. APhA is the organization whose members are recognized in society as essential in all patient care settings for optimal medication use that improves health, wellness, and quality of life. Through information, education, and advocacy APhA empowers its members to improve medication use and advance patient care. To this end, APhA committed to promoting and maintaining the well-being and resilience of all pharmacists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmaceutical scientists in all practice settings to preserve pharmacy’s efforts in maximizing health outcomes. 

 

Importance of the Issue.

Pharmacists are committed to providing the best possible patient care, however, we must recognize that their personal health and well-being is crucial to their ability to preform at their best. As a profession, pharmacists need to come together to support each other and determine a path forward. 

 

Goal.

To improve pharmacist and pharmacy personnel well-being and resiliency by working with APhA as their next Executive Resident in Association Management and Leadership. 

 

Recommendation.

My recommendation is to address this initiative in a way that utilizes channels and resources already available to APhA, while introducing some new elements that will provide value to our members and quickly show them that we care, we hear them, and we want to help. I propose that a podcast be created to meet stressed out pharmacists where they’re at. With little time and money to spend, a podcast would provide the right blend of convenience with a conversational tone to complement the topic at hand. 

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Implementation.

This project will require a budget of $100,000 and about one year’s time to complete. Multiple departments within the APhA organization will need to come together to support this important project. These departments include marketing, education and training, membership, pharmacy practice, and government affairs. A pharmacist would be hired on stipend to produce the podcast and serve as its host. This project will require a three step approach that utilizes existing media platforms such as the Pharmacy Today e-newsletter emailed to members each morning, to advertise the podcast. By adding a “Pharmacy Life” section to the newsletter, additional content related to pharmacist well-being an resiliency can be distributed via the Pharmacy Today newsletter to highlight APhA’s commitment to the issue. The next step is to create a monthly podcast that kicks off at the association’s Annual Meeting. Members attending the meeting will be introduced to the new podcast host and an expert on resiliency and preventing burn out will be interviewed in front of a live audience to record the first podcast show. The last step is to utilize the podcast to promote programming and resources created by APhA that supports well-being and resiliency. The podcast will serve as a critical link between existing content channels to guide pharmacists to valuable resources while starting important conversations about improving well-being. 

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Three-Step Approach:

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Podcast Content and Scope:

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Evaluation.

To evaluate the efficacy of the podcast we will use two measures. First, a survey will be created and distributed to members as a way to create a baseline of pharmacist well-being. This initial data will be used to guide content creation and can later be compared to data collected after the podcast’s first year. This will serve as a measure of the profession’s well-being.

 

To measure the success of the podcast as a tool to engage members, the number of downloads and subscribers will be tracked throughout the year. Initially, we will be able to gauge the enthusiasm for the podcast based on member attendance at the live broadcast that kicks off the podcast series at the APhA Annual Meeting. With enough downloads and subscribers, the podcast could eventually drive ad revenue and this would become a measure of success as well. While there will be no clear way to determine whether the podcast drives membership or sales via meeting registration and resources, these goals would be intended. 

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Subscription and Download Goals:                                       

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Podcast Artwork

Final Thoughts.

This podcast is a way to create a voice that advocates for the well-being and resiliency of pharmacists and pharmacy personnel. Although by no means a fix for the problem at hand, this podcast will let pharmacists know that they are being heard and provide them with some tools to build psychological hardiness and to look for ways to problem solve and innovate. My time at Carolina has helped me learn how to advocate for others, find my voice, and challenge the process, and I believe these lessons have prepared me to support APhA on this initiative and others that will improve the pharmacy profession.  

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1. Jones GM, Roe NM. Factors Associated With Burnout Among US Hospital Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners: Results of a Nationwide Pilot Survey. Hosp Pharm.2017;52:11:742-51.

*This is a fictional project created by Meg Freiter. It is not currently being pursued by APhA.