A 10-year follow-up survey study: burnout in U.S. pharmacy practice faculty, where do we stand?
- 1Department of Pharmacy Practice, Midwestern University, College of Pharmacy, Glendale Campus
- 2Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego
- 3University of California, San Francisco, School of Pharmacy,
Abstract
Background In 2014, the authors of this study reported burnout rates among pharmacy practice faculty. Ten years later, following the COVID-19 pandemic along with changes to pharmacy student enrollment and demographics, this study aimed to compare burnout rates among pharmacy practice faculty reported in 2014 with 2025. Demographics, participation in workplace well-being programs, and intention to leave the profession were also reported in this study. Methods An electronic cross-sectional survey assessed burnout and demographics among pharmacy practice faculty from United States colleges/schools of pharmacy. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey (MBI-ES) which has been deemed the gold standard for measuring burnout. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson/Spearman correlations were used to identify predictive characteristics of burnout. Results Of the 2,505 pharmacy practice faculty invited to participate in the study, 327 responded (13%). The MBI-ES scores for emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment in 2025 compared with 2014 were significantly worse. Faculty aged 31–40 years had the highest emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores. Lack of hobby was predictive of low personal accomplishment. Of the respondents, 73% reported that they have access to a well-being program at their university. Those who reported that well-being resources were not helpful had worse scores in all three burnout domains. Over 16% of respondents reported that they would likely leave academic pharmacy within the next 3 years. Conclusions Burnout is higher among pharmacy practice faculty compared to the 2014 report. Access to well-being programs is available for most faculty; their reported usefulness, however, was mixed. Burnout could be contributing to faculty departing academic pharmacy within the next 3 years. Pharmacy academic institutions must continue to work towards mediating burnout among pharmacy practice faculty to enhance well-being and retention.
Related
- Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward artificial intelligence in pharmacy education and practice among pharmacy students and faculty in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study
- Pharmacy Education in Korea: Transition to Clinically Oriented Education and the Establishment of the National Specialist Pharmacist System as a Foundation for Advanced Pharmacy Practice
- Parent Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services, Pharmacy Use, and Requirements for Improvement: A Questionnaire Survey
- From Knowledge to Practice: Evaluating a Targeted Faculty Development Program for Medical Educators Using the Kirkpatrick Framework.
- Translating Traditional Herbal Use into Medication-Safety Decisions: A Proposed Community-Contextualized Translational Ethnopharmacy Framework for Pharmacy Practice.
BibTeX
@article{elibiary202610year,
title = {{A 10-year follow-up survey study: burnout in U.S. pharmacy practice faculty, where do we stand?}},
author = {Shareen Y. El-Ibiary and Kelly C. Lee and Tram B. Cat},
journal = {BMC Medical Education},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-09849-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09849-6},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A 10-year follow-up survey study: burnout in U.S. pharmacy practice faculty, where do we stand?
AU - Shareen Y. El-Ibiary
AU - Kelly C. Lee
AU - Tram B. Cat
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC Medical Education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-09849-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09849-6
AB - Background In 2014, the authors of this study reported burnout rates among pharmacy practice faculty. Ten years later, following the COVID-19 pandemic along with changes to pharmacy student enrollment and demographics, this study aimed to compare burnout rates among pharmacy practice faculty reported in 2014 with 2025. Demographics, participation in workplace well-being programs, and intention to leave the profession were also reported in this study. Methods An electronic cross-sectional survey assessed burnout and demographics among pharmacy practice faculty from United States colleges/schools of pharmacy. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey (MBI-ES) which has been deemed the gold standard for measuring burnout. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson/Spearman correlations were used to identify predictive characteristics of burnout. Results Of the 2,505 pharmacy practice faculty invited to participate in the study, 327 responded (13%). The MBI-ES scores for emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment in 2025 compared with 2014 were significantly worse. Faculty aged 31–40 years had the highest emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores. Lack of hobby was predictive of low personal accomplishment. Of the respondents, 73% reported that they have access to a well-being program at their university. Those who reported that well-being resources were not helpful had worse scores in all three burnout domains. Over 16% of respondents reported that they would likely leave academic pharmacy within the next 3 years. Conclusions Burnout is higher among pharmacy practice faculty compared to the 2014 report. Access to well-being programs is available for most faculty; their reported usefulness, however, was mixed. Burnout could be contributing to faculty departing academic pharmacy within the next 3 years. Pharmacy academic institutions must continue to work towards mediating burnout among pharmacy practice faculty to enhance well-being and retention.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -