Victoria Isgett, ’25, shines Pharmacy Times spotlight on burnout

She must have hit a hot topic. Fourth-year student Victoria Isgett’s article on burnout among pharmacy students, published in the November 8 issue of Pharmacy Times, hit the “Trending News” section of pharmacy’s lead trade publication.

The article “Understanding the Burnout Crisis Among Student Pharmacists” was a natural topic for Isgett. She has an interest in mental health and wellness, she is a pharmacy student at a demanding school, and she was actually doing a rotation at Pharmacy Times when she started work on it.

“It’s not so much shining a light on burnout in students but more so shining a light on the resources that should be available for students to prevent them from entering the pharmacy profession already burned out,” said Isgett, who is interested in a career in ambulatory care with a possible specialty in mental health.

Noting that burnout has become a common lament in health care, Isgett took a close look into possible causes of burnout among pharmacy students as well as its consequences. She recommends pharmacy schools implement comprehensive wellness programs to help combat the problem.

“Burnout is already a problem in the profession,” she said. “Looking back in time, and starting from the student perspective, it’s clear that better resources available as a student will help graduating pharmacists cope and manage. That’s how we can mitigate the burnout crisis.”

Isgett, who graduated with a B.S. in biomedical science with a minor in chemistry from St. Leo University in Florida before coming to MUSC, started the article at the request of a preceptor while on rotation at Pharmacy Times. The Tampa native continued to work on it after her rotation ended in order to get it published.

Given the response, it appears to be a good thing she did.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a student-written article appear in Pharmacy Times’ Trending News,” she said. “So it certainly seems to be resonating with people.”