Visante 
Identify the common signs of burnout – and learn what steps you can take to prevent it.
Burnout is real, and it’s a key factor driving the widespread pharmacy technician shortages that have plagued health systems recently. Pharmacy leaders must identify burnout in order to retain employees and ensure smooth operations – and prevent patient harm due to medication errors.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the signs of burnout, how to recognize them, and what key protective measures your organization can adopt to prevent burnout.
How common is burnout?
Burnout is very common in the health professions. More than half of pharmacists (51%) experience burnout. And burnout in pharmacy technicians is likely comparable as they typically operate in tandem in the same workspaces as pharmacists.
In fact, the 2022 ASHP Pharmacy Technician Shortage Survey reported technicians “are frustrated with heavy workloads, inadequate staffing, and inadequate compensation.” The same survey found that:
- The majority of pharmacy administrators reported technician turnover between 21-30%
- 10% of administrators had lost 41% or more of their technicians
Recognizing burnout
Burnout is a term that generally describes an individual’s psychological response to work stress in
perception, behavior, or both. Though it can be defined and identified in different ways, it is generally
characterized by one or more of the following:
Preventing burnout
Proactive communication by pharmacy leaders can help to better identify burnout in individual workers or
groups of workers facing the same conditions. In addition to understanding burnout risk factors, it’s
important to note that several protective factors have been shown to reduce burnout in healthcare
workers.
Beyond burnout: addressing the pharmacy technician shortage
Burnout is just one factor driving the nationwide shortage of pharmacy technicians. With this critical role in short supply, health systems are experiencing decreased productivity and employee engagement, compromising their ability to distribute drugs safely to patients. Learn more about the shortage, and what your organization can do to address it, in Visante’s latest whitepaper.
Download Our Whitepaper: The Pharmacy Technician Workforce Crisis
