Bryan Gomez is a second-year PharmD candidate at The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and the 2023–2024 Region 3 APhA–ASP Regional Delegate.
Last fall, I wrote about using the APhA-supported Well-Being Index for Pharmacy Personnel (WBI) for the first time to “take inventory” of my personal well-being. My initial results were striking: although my index score was average, my risk of making a medication error over the next 3 months because of chronic fatigue was 20%, and the likelihood that I would experience significant burnout over the next 2 years was nearly double that.
Having received my wake-up call, I resolved to more intentionally make time for my personal needs and interests alongside my academic, financial, and professional obligations.
In August, I shared that I would delegate some of my student organization responsibilities to others and reduce how many hours I worked each week at my part-time job as first steps in achieving greater work–life balance. As expected, those changes took a significant burden off my shoulders, and my colleagues were surprisingly supportive of the adjustments.
What I didn’t expect in August, however, was the bicycle.
A new hobby …
After discovering a newly constructed local greenway next to my neighborhood—the result of also committing a few weeks prior to going for a walk somewhere new each day after classes ended—I decided on a whim that what I wanted more than anything was to ride a bicycle on the trail. I hadn’t ridden a bike since I was in elementary school. I was actually terrified that I’d forgotten how to ride one altogether, and I was unsure of where the sudden urge to get back on one came from, but I capitalized on the desire since it aligned with the theme of embracing well-being. Two weeks later—after renting a bike for a few days to relearn how to ride and to make sure the urge wasn’t fleeting—I purchased my first bicycle.
It’s an upright Amsterdam-design–inspired cruiser bike, so it only handles well on paved surfaces, and it will never win any competitions. I’m sure I even look like a retiree riding my modern Omafiet, which literally translates to “grandmother bike” in Dutch. But riding it is genuinely the happiest I’ve been since starting pharmacy school, and the bike has become a delightful and casual escape from studying, work, and screen time while also being a convenient excuse to get more exercise in and spend time outdoors.
The instant reward you get after effortfully pedaling yourself up a hill, then coasting easily on the way back down, wind in your face, is gratifying in a way that is unlike any activity I’ve engaged in before.
… and a new outlook
I don’t mean to suggest that simply purchasing a bicycle and spending more time outdoors will fix the systemic issues that threaten student pharmacists’ well-being or improve your well-being overnight. It won’t. Certainly, the most valuable changes I made over the past few months were not bike-related, but instead the strategic and systematic efforts I made to reduce my workload, say “no” more often to opportunities that would overcrowd my plate, and become more comfortable occasionally compromising on school or work performance if it meant prioritizing personal well-being. Nevertheless, I was surprised at how quickly I fell in love with a new hobby after finally making more time for myself, and the bike has played a real, tangible role in improving my well-being.
Six months—and six monthly WBI check-ins—after first assessing my well-being with the WBI, I’m proud to report that my overall assessment score is now above average. According to the tool, that improvement means my risk of burnout has nearly halved, my satisfaction with work–life balance is good, and my likelihood of making a medication error over the next 3 months has dropped to less than 10%.
In hindsight, I think riding a bike was always something I wanted to do. Without a nudge from the WBI, though, I’m not sure I would’ve taken the steps necessary to realize that desire. So, I encourage you to give the WBI a try if you haven’t already—you never know what new hobby might await you on the other side of it.