Hope in a time of burnout, misinformation and racism: Pharmacy conference looks to future of new opportunities amid challenges

Canada’s pharmacy professionals face a future of unprecedented opportunities—but also of daunting systemic and societal challenges—as they navigate past the pandemic. More than 300 pharmacy professionals from across the country heard this message throughout the weekend during the Canadian Pharmacists Association conference, which took place in Ottawa from June 10 to June 12. “We explored big issues facing the pharmacy community and shared our ideas and innovative solutions on how to overcome them,” said Danielle Paes, the association’s chief pharmacist officer. “We’ve learned many lessons from the pandemic and we’re using this to influence and support our future as a profession.” The conference featured keynote speeches and panel sessions that underscored the profession’s position of strength and trust among Canadians but also highlighted critical issues such as burnout, staffing shortages, misinformation and racism. Read: CPhA national survey finds 72% of pharmacy professionals considering leaving their job or the profession entirely The latter two issues are at the root of many of the problems pharmacy professionals face today, Kelly Grindrod, a professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, told the audience during a lunchtime presentation. “We are living through information wars,” she said. “Some of our burnout is due to us being on the frontlines, working with people who believe in disinformation, in particular about vaccines.” Systemic racism has compounded the problem by deepening mistrust in healthcare professionals. As examples, Grindrod pointed to the early days of COVID vaccinations, when some members of Indigenous communities felt they were being used as guinea pigs. She also called out the lack of translated literature to help various ethnic groups understand COVID vaccines. Pharmacists have an important role to play in fighting mis- and disinformation, as well as racism in the health system, said Grindrod. Read: Think before posting: Social media etiquette for pharmacy technicians “Pharmacists understand what’s happening on the ground,” she said. “Pharmacists are of the community and can be key players in the development of equitable policies . . .. Be radical—you are frontline.” Grindrod’s presentation was followed by a session led by B.C. pharmacists Lindsay Dixon and Kimberley Kalio, who talked about how pharmacies can use social media to fight mis- and disinformation. Both pharmacists have built an online following through their blogs and multimedia platforms. Keynote speaker Dr. Robyne Hanley Dafoe spoke about the mental strain and burnout that most pharmacists struggle with today, and offered tools and strategies such as “birthday cake breathing”—where you take a deep breath and blow it out—and spending time in nature. She also cautioned about how the words “resiliency” and “care” are being weaponized in some companies. Read: Time to pull the safety lever: Burnout in pharmacy is not a self-care issue but a workplace problem “Organizations are putting their people in compromising situations and then saying ‘you need to be resilient,’” she said. “You can’t just put people in rotten situations and then tell them to self-care their way out of it.” The conference closed with a panel on advocacy, with a focus on the politics and strategy for advancing pharmacy. Pharmacists Manitoba CEO Tanjit Nagra led the discussion with Dwight Ball, former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Darrell Pasloski, former premier of Yukon. Both men were pharmacists. “I left the conference feeling optimistic, inspired and motivated,” said Paes. “I hope others feel the same way and return to their practice re-energized and ready to be agents of positive change.” Read: Pharmacists with big ideas—it never gets old

Hope in a time of burnout, misinformation and racism: Pharmacy conference looks to future of new opportunities amid challenges

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