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Issue

What is Burnout?

Burnout affects today’s pharmacists, residents, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians at unprecedented rates. At the individual level, pharmacy staff burnout can result in medication errors and increased patient harm. At the hospital or healthcare system level, the effects of burnout such as disengagement, loss of productivity, and employee turnover, can lead to inefficiency and financial problems for healthcare organizations.

A pharmacy workforce with the ability to thrive during adversity — a resilient workforce — is essential to combat burnout and support higher-quality care, increased patient safety, and improved patient satisfaction.

Factors Affecting Clinician Well-Being and Resilience – Conceptual Model

This conceptual model was developed by the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being. The model depicts the factors associated with clinician well-being and resilience. View the full model.

National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being

Fast Facts

  • Percentage of burnout among pharmacists 53% of health-system pharmacists surveyed reported a high degree of burnout. (source: Durham ME, Bush PW, Ball, AM. 2018. Evidence of burnout in health-system pharmacists. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 75(23): S93-S100.)
  • Pharmacy residents working more than 60 hours per week reported high levels of stress, depression, and hostility. (source: Le HM, Young SD. Evaluation of stress experienced by pharmacy residents. AJHP.2017;74:599-604)
  • ASHP is a member the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative working group that designed a conceptual model on Factors Affecting Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.
  • In 2018, ASHP House of Delegates members approved a new professional policy on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.
  • Four of the five inaugural recipients of the New Practitioner Leadership Development Research Grant, courtesy of the Marianne F. Ivey Fund, will focus on clinician well-being and resilience.
  • Artwork from three ASHP members were selected from hundreds of submissions to be featured in Expressions of Clinician Well-Being: An Art Exhibition.

Timeline: ASHP Activities on Clinician Well-Being & Resilience

Date Activity
July 1982 Recognizing, reversing, and preventing hospital pharmacist burnout published in AJHP. The article by Paul O. Raddle, Ph.D. reviewed burnout as it related to work in the hospital pharmacy setting and included suggestions for preventing and reversing burnout among hospital practitioners.
1982-2017 Themes related to clinician burnout, depression, stress, work-life balance, and suicide explored in ASHP publications and educational programming.
Date Activity
June 2017
 ASHP is an original sponsor of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. ASHP is the only pharmacy organization participating in this interprofessional effort.
July 2017
 ASHP issues statement, Commitment to Clinician Well-being and Resilience.
September 2017
 Joint ASHP Council and Commission session on clinician well-being and resilience. The Council on Education and Workforce Development drafts a policy proposal.
November 2017 Launch of member community on ASHP Connect.
Date Activity
March 2018
Launch of Well-Being and Resilience Webinar Series
Spring 2018
 Featured topic during state affiliate and regional residency conferences
May 2018
 ASHP members featured in a digital art gallery, Expressions of Well-Being: An Art Exhibition. The gallery allows healthcare providers to creatively express their experiences with burnout.
May 2018
 ASHP participates in NAM meeting, Establishing Clinician Well-Being as a National Priority (Meeting 3)
June 2018
 ASHP House of Delegates approved a new professional policy on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.
June 2018
 Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy challenges Summer Meetings attendees to include well-being at the core of their work as healthcare providers during keynote address. Programming at the meeting in Denver included sessions on enhancing resilience.
July 2018
 ASHP successfully nominates M. Lynn Crismon, Dean of the University of Texas College of Pharmacy to serve on a NAM committee overseeing work on a consensus study examining systems approaches to improve patient care by supporting clinician well-being.
August 2018

 Launch of Well-Being and Resilience resource center.
September 2018 ASHP contributes to NAM discussion paper on implementing optimal team-based care to reduce clinician burnout.
September 2018 Joint ASHP Council and Commission session on the pharmacists’ role in suicide prevention.
September 2018 Launch of  State Affiliate Toolkit on Well-Being and Resilience.
October 2018 ASHP participates in NAM meeting, Establishing Clinician Well-Being as a National Priority (Meeting 4).
December 2018 Educational programming on well-being and resilience featured during 53rd Midyear Clinical Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Date Activity

February 2019

 Presentation to Expanding Clinical Pharmacy Outcomes program for military pharmacists.
Spring 2019
 Featured topic during state affiliate and regional residency conferences.
Spring 2019
 Well-being and resilience incorporated into criteria for SSHP Recognition Program and ASHP Foundation New Practitioners Leadership Research Grant Program.
May 2019 ASHP participates in NAM meeting, Establishing Clinician Well-Being as a National Priority (Meeting 5)

ASHP Policy

ASHP is an original sponsor of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. We are currently working to identify mechanisms that support and ensure a thriving and stable pharmacy workforce. We have prioritized well-being and resilience as a patient care priority in our strategic plan, including:

  • Engaging in major national initiatives on clinician well-being and resilience.
  • Facilitating the development of education aimed at helping pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians address and effectively cope with the stress and burnout associated with demanding patient care environments.
  • Seeking opportunities to improve the well-being and resilience of pharmacists participating in postgraduate residency training.
  • Fostering research that addresses well-being and resilience issues for pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.

In 2018, ASHP House of Delegates members approved a new professional policy on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience [PDF].

ASHP Resilient Pharmacy Workforce Infographic

A pharmacy workforce with the ability to thrive during adversity is essential to combat burnout and support safe, high-quality patient care. This graphic helps to identify symptoms of workplace burnout and provides tips to boost resilience. View the full infographic.

Infographics