Jennifer Garson is a third-year PharmD candidate at the Purdue University College of Pharmacy.
Burnout has become a buzzword in recent years, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have seen countless stories of burned-out health care professionals across the country. What about student pharmacists like you and me?
Burnout is broadly defined by HelpGuide as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” Pharmacy school, like other professional programs, is filled with demanding coursework, which often causes stress. But the difficult material is not the exclusive stressor we face. As the job market fluctuates and postgraduate training opportunities become more competitive, we are challenged to take on additional responsibilities in the form of internships, leadership positions, community service, and research. Add on personal stressors that may come from finances, relationships, mental health, overall wellness—oh, and a pandemic—and you may think that pharmacy school is simply a recipe for developing burnout.
We are studying to take care of others, but how do we take care of ourselves? Are we destined to be burned-out before we even enter the workforce?
No one-size-fits-all answer
Personally, I can without a doubt say that I have experienced burnout. Last fall, I found myself unable to effectively study or meet expectations. I felt disengaged, emotionally drained, and I lost all sense of motivation. Sound familiar? The truth is, I believe that most everyone experiences burnout at one point or another. But that does not mean we can’t do anything to prevent it.
In my experience, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Circumstances continually evolve, and what has worked to prevent burnout before may also need to adapt. Tips online often include “find balance in your life” and “take time off.” While these are great suggestions, they are difficult to apply when expectations continue to rise and responsibilities continue to build. Throughout my years of pharmacy school, I’ve adopted a few overarching strategies that have helped me prevent and deal with burnout.
1. Choose your extracurricular commitments with your passions and long-term goals in mind. The best advice I ever received was that “‘No’ is a full sentence.” Saying “no” allows you to say “yes” to opportunities that more closely align with your interests, making the time you invest more fulfilling and less draining.
2. Check your routine every few weeks and try to make one change. For me, this might mean changing up something in my living space to reinvent my environment, trying a new recipe to expand my comfort zone, or going for a walk in a different neighborhood to have new experiences. These changes seem small, but they have played a huge role in refreshing my mind, body, and perspective.
3. Consider a break from social media. This sounds cliché, but it’s important to remember that people tend to share only the highlights of their lives on social media. I disconnected for a month this summer and it challenged me to focus on what and who was in front of me as well as where I was expending my time and energy.
4. Most importantly, be honest with yourself. Remember that you are a human first and a student pharmacist second. If you are starting to feel uncontrollable exhaustion, blunted emotion, or detachment, reach out to those around you. You’d be surprised by the weight that comes off your shoulders just from sharing how you are feeling.