Current Issues in Community Pharmacy- brendan

The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy boasts a high match rate for graduating students entering residency programs and fellowships. Unlike the majority of pharmacy schools across the country, it has, on average, a relatively low number of students entering the community pharmacy workforce upon graduation. I was curious as to why that is, as I think the community pharmacy profession provides a pharmacist with an interesting opportunity to positively make an impact in the healthcare field. I looked into current events and trends within the field, and the results surprised me.

According to a survey conducted by the University of Connecticut, nearly 75% of community pharmacists reported burnout. These pharmacists were either working for a grocery store or chain pharmacy. This response reflected a number of problems that many pharmacists encounter, such as being overworked and not getting paid for it, being understaffed with technicians, and not getting breaks during their shifts. On top of this, many pharmacists feel that they were not respected by patients and some healthcare professional colleagues while at work. These factors, when experienced all at once, are likely to promote burnout and feelings of stress while at work. 

These statistics make it more apparent to me as to why many students do not wish to go into community pharmacy. With such a high burnout response rate, I understand why one would want to avoid the profession. I wish this was not the case. These pharmacists undergo the same schooling, rotation experiences, and licensing examinations as any pharmacist would. Seeing how displeased, disrespected, and discouraged many of them are while at work makes me think that we should reconsider how the system is run, rather than promoting other work opportunities. I know that the community pharmacist role is not for everyone, but bad press and poor survey responses that continue to be published year after year will likely discourage pharmacists that may be exceptional at the role.