Why your chain-store pharmacist is so unhappy

(CNN) – Pharmacists swear an oath upon entering the profession to “assure optimal outcomes for all patients.” But current working conditions are making it nearly impossible to live up to this oath. Using data from the 2022 National Pharmacist Workforce Study, a survey of 96,000 licensed pharmacists in the U.S., we calculated that more than 60% of chain pharmacist respondents reported high levels of work exhaustion and nearly 80% reported low levels of job satisfaction. In contrast, only 15% of community pharmacist respondents practicing in independently-owned pharmacies reported high levels of work exhaustion, and less than 40% reported low levels of job satisfaction. Recently, pharmacists staged walkouts at chains like Walgreens and CVS across the country – desperate attempts to draw attention to the poor working conditions and resulting burnout that have been ignored for far too long. Their work situation is particularly concerning given the cold and flu season and the role that retail chain pharmacists play as patient access points for medications, flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, and advisers to manage symptoms and use medications safely. Now, chain organizations have no choice but to invest in their current workplace and workforce to improve working conditions, starting with the immediate...