A pilot assessment on perceived stress among working pharmacist moms

To assess perceptions of stress among working pharmacist moms.

Members of the then 1000-member Facebook Pharmacist Moms group were invited to complete an 18-question online survey. The survey included questions related to stress and demographics.

Ninety-three pharmacist moms responded to the survey. The majority (82%) of respondents graduated more than 5 years ago. Most (81%) had at least 2 children; 44% had at least 1 child younger than 5 years. The largest proportion (58%) of respondents practiced in a community pharmacy, whereas nonretail respondents included those working in a hospital (25%) or in academia (12%). Retail pharmacist moms felt more nervous or stressed about work than nonretail pharmacist mothers (70% vs. 49%; P < 0.01) and were more likely to feel difficulties were piling up so high they could not overcome them (48% vs. 15%; P < 0.01). Moms who worked in retail also felt more upset because of something that happened at work compared with nonretail pharmacist moms (63% vs 28%; P < 0.01).

Women have become a major force in pharmacy and will continue to play a considerable role in the future of the profession. Pharmacist moms working in retail report higher stress levels compared with their nonretail counterparts. These results indicate a need to educate future female pharmacists on coping skills and life management techniques that foster healthy work-life balances. Employers should be aware of the underlying stressors that pharmacist moms are coping with in the workplace. These findings suggest the need for a more comprehensive survey to determine whether the stress perceived by pharmacist moms is warranted.