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At the start of February 2023, we set out to learn more about the attitudes and behaviours of pharmacists in Ireland. We conducted a survey to discover the opinions of pharmacists in regards to salaries, permanent roles vs. locuming, and motivations in general. This survey received a notable 131 responses, which we have made available in a concise, easily digestible report. We believe this report will be beneficial to pharmacy owners and employers in order to improve their decision making surrounding their pharmacy staff.
Of the 131 respondents, 8.4% had less than three years experience as a registered pharmacist, 28.2% had three to nine years experience, and 63.4% had over ten years of experience in the field.
One of our key findings from this survey was the number of comments expressing the unwillingness of locums to consider a permanent role due to the increase of pressure and stress that they believe comes with it. This comes as no surprise following last year’s Irish Times article in which pharmacists confessed that ‘long hours in a high-stress environment with no breaks is driving them from well-paid community pharmacy jobs.’
Taking this into account, we identified some of the most common stressors experienced in a community pharmacy role, and ways in which these could be combated in order to improve mental health within a pharmacy’s staff.
One of the main causes of stress amongst pharmacists is the management of a heavy workload. When paired with staff shortages, this can lead to higher levels of burnout. While there are many ways in which to manage workload, here are a few time management techniques from Diane Malburg, COO of the Michigan Pharmacists Association.
As with most things in life, two is better than one… and when it comes to a pharmacy team the more hands on deck to support the better! As mentioned above, having a good support team allows pharmacists to focus on more important tasks while delegating extra jobs to their team members. In order for this operation to run smoothly, it’s important for pharmacists to understand their team’s strengths and weaknesses, communicate openly, and have clear expectations. You can read more about how to manage an effective pharmacy team in our blog below.
Once you’ve implemented these techniques into your everyday working life, you may feel more confident in your ability to manage your workload and your time, however there may be additional factors adding to your stress. To keep these at bay, it is recommended to focus on the following:
Of course, these are only a few ways of reducing your stress levels and there are many other factors that we haven’t addressed here. Ensuring a work-life balance is of high importance for pharmacists. The soft introduction of wellness days and 4-day work weeks are amongst some of the initiatives seen in recent months to improve employee satisfaction. We have a number of pharmacies hiring at the minute for part-time four day week roles, or Monday to Friday roles. Sticking to fixed hours will allow pharmacists to create a routine in their daily lives.
To read the full report of our Pharmacist Survey, please get in touch below.
