The kids aren’t alright: CAPSI survey finds pharmacy students are struggling with mental health issues

Pharmacists are struggling, with many reporting stress and burnout. Indeed, a 2022 Ontario College of Pharmacists survey found that nearly half of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians had experienced some burnout. In that atmosphere, the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) asked in how students were faring. Its survey found that while their stresses were different, many were struggling with their mental health. The Student Mental Health and Wellness Survey included answers from 160 students who responded anonymously between February and May of 2022. Nearly 90% of respondents rated their mental health as a three out of five or worse, with nearly half saying it was a two out of five or worse. Nearly all students who responded (97.5%) said that stress from pharmacy school negatively impacted their mental health, and 85% said that it had a moderate to severe impact on it. The top reasons they gave for that stress were uncertainty about the future, not having breaks between semesters and rotations, not having enough contingency planning, online or hybrid learning, and financial concerns from school. Read: Pharmacist channels pandemic burnout into humanitarian effort The main things that could make them feel less stressed, students said, were longer breaks, better financial support, and having personal days during rotations. A majority (78%) of students said they came to class or rotation tired, and nearly as many said it was hard to decompress at the end of the day. In addition, 43% said they felt alone or isolated, 41% said they already viewed pharmacy or pharmacy school negatively, and 42% said they were frightened they might fail or had thoughts about dropping out. But there was some good news: 75% of students said they still felt “content” and wanted to become a pharmacist, though only half agreed that they found pharmacy school rewarding and were eager to participate in its activities. Read: Survey says burnout still an issue On top of all that, 95% of students said they felt there were barriers to using mental health supports provided by their universities. The most common issue was that they didn’t have enough time, followed by not being sure where to find support and long wait lists. “The central finding of this national survey is surprisingly not the need for more [mental health and wellness programming in schools],” the report reads. “It is rather the fundamental need for students to have time to access these resources or other avenues for replenishing their well-being.” In response to the survey results, CAPSI will advocate for the well-being of pharmacy students and for more financial aid, including asking the federal government to include pharmacy grads in their student loan forgiveness program. It will also create more mental health resources for students, provide career planning, raise awareness of its mentorship program, encourage connection between pharmacy students with events, and make more students aware of what CAPSI offers. They will also push schools to make changes, including offering students more breaks, both between semesters and rotations, including having sick days; encouraging schools to provide more financial support to students; and adding mental health resources for pharmacy students. Read: New CAPSI president Christine Vaccaro shares her goals and motivation

The kids aren’t alright: CAPSI survey finds pharmacy students are struggling with mental health issues

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