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Never taking a break does more harm than good.
As a student, I knew that taking breaks when studying resulted in more benefit than harm; however, I seemed to have forgotten that as a resident. I went straight from pharmacy school to board exams to a PGY-1 residency with no breaks in between, which has its pros and cons. Being a fully licensed pharmacist before residency began was a huge relief, but it required many long hours of studying for board exams immediately after graduation. This left little room for rest or relaxation after finishing a rigorous pharmacy graduate-level program.
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Once residency started, I quickly learned that things moved fast, and while I was extremely grateful to be done with board exams, I felt like the real break never came. After a few weeks of residency, I realized that I was starting to feel burned out and running on fumes. The burnout made me question whether residency was a good choice and worth it for me. I had a heart-to-heart with my residency director, who reminded me that taking breaks is OK and encouraged. Sometimes, I think we have this mentality that we should get a million things done in a single day, and if we don’t accomplish them, it is a failure. This is not reality.
My residency director encouraged me to schedule time off over the weekends so that I had things to look forward to. In a program that staffs every other weekend, the middle of the 12-day stretch is always the hardest. The advice I received was to plan something, even if it was something small.
Immediately, I implemented this advice. I began scheduling my weekends off to include everything from a date night with my husband to dinner with friends. Once I started prioritizing my time away from work, I noticed that it made my weeks go by faster. It helped me realize that I needed to step away from work and projects to truly give myself a mental and emotional break.
I started to improve my time management skills. I prioritized scheduling time to work on projects and set aside separate time to work on things I wanted to do, whether that meant going to the gym, spending more time with loved ones, or enjoying hobbies regularly. Learning to prioritize myself helped me be more present during my rotations, get better sleep, and have a better work-life balance. Improving one small area of my life helped me to improve all around—I was amazed at how such a small difference made such a large impact on all aspects of my life.
My residency director also told me that I should start to celebrate my wins in residency as they come. I did not understand what she meant until after I completed my fall seminar. My preceptor said, “[Because] you finished your fall seminar, your goal this weekend is to take a break for a day and to take some time to celebrate your accomplishment.” I took her advice and celebrated by starting a new book and going to a nice dinner with my husband, which was much needed.
Brianne Perry, PharmD, is an acute care PGY-1 resident at LDS Hospital with Intermountain Health. She graduated from Roseman University College of Pharmacy in May 2024 and has experience as a pharmacy technician. She aims to pursue her pharmacist career after completing residency in 2025.
It is important to remember to enjoy the process as we go through pharmacy school and residency. Never taking a break does more harm than good. When we allow ourselves to step away from something and then come back to it, it can help provide a clearer perspective and headspace. Learning to have a strong work-life balance now will set me up for my future career as a pharmacist. Therefore, I advise anyone currently in pharmacy school or residency training or those considering these to enjoy the chaos because it is short-term and will be over before you know it.
I am still a work in progress. Occasionally, I still feel guilty for taking a break or stepping away for a night to focus on something fun. But in the end, I try to remind myself that I can’t take care of my patients unless I take care of myself.
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