Developing a Global Community of Practice for Pharmacy Workforce Resilience—Meet GRiT
Karen Whitfield,
Vibhuti Arya,
Zubin Austin,
Dalia Bajis,
Catriona Bradley,
Bronwyn Clark,
Betty Exintaris,
Kirsten Galbraith,
Maguy Saffouh El Hajj,
Kat Hall,
Louise Hughes,
Sue Kirsa,
Catherine Langran,
Efi Mantzourani,
Kyle John Wilby,
Sarah Willis
Affiliations
Karen Whitfield
School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Vibhuti Arya
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, Queens, NY 11439, USA
Zubin Austin
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M52 3M2, Canada
Dalia Bajis
Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Catriona Bradley
Irish Institute of Pharmacy, D02 FP84 Dublin, Ireland
Bronwyn Clark
Australian Pharmacy Council, Canberra, ACT 2609, Australia
Betty Exintaris
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville Campus, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Kirsten Galbraith
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville Campus, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
Maguy Saffouh El Hajj
College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
Kat Hall
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
Louise Hughes
Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff Cf10 3NB, UK
Sue Kirsa
Australian Pharmacy Council, Canberra, ACT 2609, Australia
Catherine Langran
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UK
Efi Mantzourani
Cardiff School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff Cf10 3NB, UK
Kyle John Wilby
College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
Sarah Willis
Centre for Pharmacy Workforce Studies, Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
Workforce resilience in pharmacy is required to ensure the practice, education, and administrative systems remain viable and sustainable over time and when facing challenges. Whether it is addressing burnout of pharmacists or students, or the structure and policies/procedures of employment and professional organizations, working to increase resilience across all individuals and sectors is essential to relieve pressure and promote better well-being, especially during the recent pandemic. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a community of practice global group focused on development of resilience within the pharmacy workforce that is inclusive of students, pharmacy interns/preregistration and registered pharmacists. The steering group meets monthly and has representation of 24 members across eight countries. Members meet to discuss pertinent issues they are facing in practice, as well as to share and progress ideas on education, research, and practice initiatives. To date, members have collectively implemented resilience training in pharmacy education, researched burnout and resilience in both students and pharmacists, and facilitated international collaborations both within and outside core group members. Future activities will focus on strengthening the community of practice in order to harness the power of the collective.
