Becoming a pharmacist takes years of dedication. The amount of schooling required is similar to the education necessary to become a physician.
Not only will you have spent years of your life preparing for your profession, but you will likely have invested tens of thousands of dollars in paying for that education and establishing your professional practice.
The sad truth is that the consequences of an injury or bad personal decisions could force you out of your job well before you are ready to retire. Professionals struggling with addiction in the pharmacy industry could lose their licensing in some cases.
Addicted pharmacists are in a dangerous position
Overseeing operations in a pharmacy is more than a full-time job. It could demand your time seven days a week and for much more than the standard 8-hour shift most people work. Those long hours may affect you physically, leading to pain in your joints or back. They may also affect you mentally.
The stress and physical demands of pharmacy work contribute to one in ten pharmacists struggling with chemical dependence at some point in their careers. The temptation often proves too much for addicted pharmacists.
If that addiction leads to someone stealing medication or falsifying records for personal benefit, they could potentially lose their license. The same is true of pharmacists reported to the state licensing board by co-workers or even family members concerned about their substance abuse.
Pharmacists facing addiction-related disciplinary action or hearings have the right to defend themselves. Planning ahead before disciplinary hearings could help you protect your professional license after accusations of substance abuse.
