When you think of frontline workers affected by the pandemic, your local pharmacist may not be the first to come to mind. But even pre-pandemic, pharmacy was a tense and demanding field. A study of pharmacists’ mental health, from January 2020, found 75 percent of study participants experienced burnout. Since then, things have only gotten more demanding, due to the increase in prescription volume, COVID testing, vaccinations, and constant virus-related inquiries from the public.
Hour Detroit talked to Farah Jalloul, director of professional development for the Michigan Pharmacists Association and part-time CVS pharmacist, about how the pandemic has transformed life for community pharmacists.
How has the pandemic affected stress levels for pharmacists?
Farah Jalloul: In pharmacy, we are in contact with individuals who might have COVID. Pharmacists are at risk. People get ill, and we end up sending people home, which leaves us with not enough staff and people working overtime. It’s very stressful.
[To address] the increased level of stress and burnout, the Michigan Pharmacists Association assembled a workplace environment task force filled with leaders that have been through the spectrum of pharmacy. It addresses certain mental health issues and new challenges for pharmacists.