Under Stress and Duress: What You Told Us About Corporate Pressures

In March 2024, the College conducted an anonymous survey and held four virtual town halls to gather feedback from thousands of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians about their experiences with corporate pressures that compromised their professional obligations.

An analysis of the feedback has been published in a report, Under Stress and Duress, now available on the OCP website. We’ve also provided a quick overview below.

Pharmacy Professionals Are Experiencing Corporate Pressures

The results from the survey and town halls were clear: corporate pressures are happening across the province and in a variety of ways. When asked, 70% of respondents indicated that they are currently experiencing workplace pressures.

Respondents said the most common workplace practices affecting their professional autonomy and well-being were direction or pressure to meet quotas for:

Clear and Concerning Impacts on Pharmacy Professionals and Patients

In your own words, you told us that corporate pressures are getting in the way of the quality of care you want to provide to your patients, are in opposition of your fundamental role as healthcare professionals and are impacting your well-being.

What Are We Doing with This Information?

Our first step, in March 2024, was to declare that the College has zero tolerance for any business practices that affect pharmacy professionals’ ability to provide safe and competent care.

Since then, we have been taking meaningful steps to put this zero-tolerance position into practice. A list of strategies we are pursuing or considering is available in our Corporate Pressures Progress Update (June 2024).

For a quick overview of our progress, check out our article, We Heard You About Corporate Pressures – Here’s What We’re Doing Next.