Stress is a part of everyday life in the modern world. Zoe Smeaton asks: what can pharmacists do when it all gets too much?
The pile of scripts is growing taller, the queue is snaking down the aisle, one of your regulars is demanding her smoking cessation follow-up, you need to find time for three MURs today to meet targets and then the phone starts ringing. Life in a pharmacy can be stressful, so what should you do if you can’t cope?
The first thing is to remember that you’re not alone. C+D’s 2009 salary survey found more than 80 per cent of pharmacists had felt stressed at some point in the last year. And as John Evans, superintendent at Asda, says: “Stress is a part of normal life, both at home and in the workplace.”
So don’t feel that you have to ignore stress, instead try to tackle it by working out what is causing it. For many people it will simply be the combination of too many tasks and not enough time. Planning ahead and organising tasks is key to helping this. Janice Perkins, superintendent at The Co-operative Pharmacy, suggests breaking tasks down into manageable chunks. The charity Pharmacist Support advises making a list of jobs – write down what you need to do and prioritise, then see what jobs you can give to other staff.
Lifestyle strategies can also help. Try avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, getting plenty of exercise and learning how to say no to people making unrealistic demands. Varying your tasks throughout the day and not worrying about the tasks ahead are also good strategies.
You should ensure you take rest breaks during the day as well as any holidays you are entitled to. Many multiples are enforcing breaks so it’s worth finding out what an employer’s policy is. Mr Evans says they tell their pharmacists to take breaks and have written to all the locums on their databases to tell them this. “You can’t work a long day without breaks,” he advises.
There are other ways employers can help. Make sure you ask what tools they have made available to help you do your job efficiently. And ensure colleagues are doing their jobs. As Mr Evans says: “If one person is working their socks off and their colleagues are doing nothing then that’s not right.”
If you still can’t cope, you might want to try talking to your employer about how you feel (see Approaching employers about stress, right). Remember that when you’re stressed you’re not working as effectively so it’s in their interests, as well as your own, to tackle the problem.
Another option is to turn to external support, such as the Listening Friends helpline, which is run by Pharmacist Support. The helpline (0808 168 5133) gives you the chance to talk confidentially to a pharmacist trained to offer support.
Pharmacist Support can also help pharmacy owners who don’t have employers to turn to. The charity has received a lot of calls recently about debt, and this is clearly a big worry. The charity can offer advice on benefits, debt and employment law, all free of charge. It can also offer a range of financial assistance such as health and wellbeing grants.
Jane Lumb, training manager at Numark, says: “Arguably independents are under more pressure: not only the day-to-day running of the pharmacy but the long-term commercial viability rests with them. If they take time off then they personally pay for it, which no doubt adds to the pressures.”
Ms Lumb says as workloads have increased many contractors have found “quick fix solutions which ease pressure in the short term without planning solutions for the longer term”. She warns: “Independent pharmacists need to stop simply reacting to the changes that affect our profession and start to plan.”
She suggests that spending time thinking about how to get the most out of your team, about practice in your pharmacy and about what tasks you can let go of can all help.
Finally, whether you’re an owner or an employee, make sure you’re comfortable in your environment. Perhaps a different pharmacy with a different business mix would suit you better? If you don’t thrive on churning out scripts as quickly as possible, perhaps you could work somewhere offering clinical services.
As Mr Evans concludes: “If the job you’re in doesn’t suit you, then try to find a job that does.”
Approaching employers about stress
Approaching your employer because you feel stressed can be daunting – no one wants their boss to think they can’t cope. But there are things you can do to make it easier.
First of all, find out what policies there are and what help is available. Does your employer have a policy on stress, for example, or are there support services available? The Co-operative Pharmacy, for example, has an employee assistance programme and a dedicated email address for colleagues to highlight any workplace pressure concerns.
If you are going to approach a line manager or HR, try to do it in a proactive way. Think about what exactly is making you stressed. To help, you could make some notes about your working days and what has caused you to feel stressed at different times.
John Evans, superintendent at Asda, suggests: “If you have got an issue, try to come up with some options and solutions to take to your line manager. If those aren’t acceptable then find out what is.”
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Remember employers have a duty of care towards you and could be breaking the law if stress-related illnesses are caused by working conditions they can control. As Janice Perkins, superintendent at the Co-operative Pharmacy, says: “Tackling stress is a partnership between the employee and the employer.”