Research Summary

Longitudinal Data Show Worsening Well-being, Burnout Among Pharmacy Residents

Edited by:
Ashton L. Stahl

Key Highlights

  • Quarterly wellness assessments from 2019–2025 showed progressive declines in well-being and increases in burnout among pharmacy residents.
  • Residents reporting average or above-average well-being dropped from 90% in July to 25% in April.
  • Stress and burnout scores worsened across multiple validated instruments, while imposter phenomenon was prevalent late in the year.
  • Findings reflect residency experiences across multiple hospital settings in this New York health system.

A recent longitudinal analysis revealed that pharmacy residents at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY, experienced worsening well-being, rising stress, and increasing burnout as the residency year progressed, according to findings presented in an abstract session at the 2025 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, NV. The study, conducted within an extensive, urban-affiliated health system in New York, reviewed quarterly wellness assessments submitted by residents across programs and years. Results were not published in a peer-reviewed journal but were presented as part of an abstract session.

Researchers aimed to characterize trends in resident wellness to inform program-level interventions and strengthen support for trainees. They examined data from multiple validated scales used routinely across residency programs, including the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Well-being Index for Pharmacy Personnel, the Duckworth Grit Scale, and the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale.

The analysis was a retrospective review of quarterly evaluations submitted by residents in all Kaleida Health pharmacy residency programs from 2019 to 2025. The system includes an academically affiliated medical center, a standalone children’s hospital, a community hospital, and a hospital-based community pharmacy. Programs evaluated included postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) pharmacy residencies at each hospital as well as PGY-2 programs in Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Infectious Diseases, and Community Pharmacy. Data were extracted from the PharmAcademic platform and analyzed with descriptive statistics using SAS version 9.4. The project received an exempt determination from the University at Buffalo Institutional Review Board.

Study Findings

The study included 44 residents who completed training between 2020 and 2025, comprising 28 PGY-1 residents and 16 PGY-2 residents. The baseline grit scores averaged 3.97 out of 5.

Well-being declined throughout the residency year: the proportion of residents reporting average or above-average well-being dropped from 90% in July to 25% in April, with 10.7% reporting very low well-being by April. Stress levels also worsened, with the number of residents reporting low stress on the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale decreasing from 47.3% in July to 28.6% in April.

Burnout scores increased across multiple domains. Occupational exhaustion rose from 34.8% reporting moderate exhaustion in July to 47.6% in April, with 14.3% reporting high exhaustion. Depersonalization peaked in April, with 14.3% and 9.5% reporting moderate and high levels, respectively. Personal accomplishment declined over the year, dropping from 34.8% reporting high levels in July to 9.5% in April.

Among 22 available records for the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale, 63.6% reported frequent symptoms and 13.6% reported intense symptoms in December.

Clinical Implications

According to the study authors, these findings suggest that pharmacy residents experience decreasing well-being and rising stress and burnout over the course of the training year. They noted that the results support the need for residency preceptors to be trained to recognize signs of burnout and to implement strategies that promote resilience and well-being, particularly later in the residency year.

Expert Commentary

“These results support the need for residency preceptors to be trained to recognize burnout,” the researchers concluded. “Residency program directors and preceptors should consider these findings to implement effective strategies to encourage wellbeing and mitigate burnout, particularly late in the residency year.”

Reference

Clark CM, Seyse S. Longitudinal assessment of pharmacy resident wellbeing and burnout. Paper presented at: ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting; December 8, 2025. Accessed December 05, 2025. https://midyear2025.eventscribe.net/fsPopup.asp?efp=V0lBRFdHT1YyNTEwOQ&PosterID=757150&rnd=0.2356276&mode=posterInfo.