Community pharmacists' occupational satisfaction and stress: a profession in jeopardy?

Objectives: To quantify and model drivers of community pharmacists' self-reported levels of occupational satisfaction and stress and to identify key segments for possible intervention by the profession.

Design: Descriptive nonexperimental study.

Setting: United States during January to February 2012.

Participants: 303 independent and community chain pharmacists.

Intervention: Online survey instrument of previously validated occupational stress and satisfaction attribute batteries.

Results: Participants reported a high level of dissatisfaction with current employment, with more than 50% stating that they were considering quitting their jobs. Dissatisfaction was higher among those with a doctor of pharmacy degree and those employed in community chains. Occupational stress and satisfaction were highly correlated with the intention to search for a new position. Approximately 20% of respondents felt that stress from their employment adversely affected their mental health and well-being, physical health, quality of the work, or relationships with family and friends.

Conclusion: Substantive levels of occupational dissatisfaction and stress exist among pharmacists currently in community practice. These negative attributes are associated with a damaging promotion of community practice-a marker of a negative trajectory in sustaining this practice environment. The results of this study have implications for the health care industry, commercial pharmacy vendors, independent pharmacies, the profession, and academic training institutions as they prepare the pharmacy workforce of the future for potentially dissatisfying and stressful work environments.