The professional sabbatical: A systematic review and considerations for the health-system pharmacist

Background: Sabbaticals are considered a professional development experience meant to foster growth and revitalize careers. The personal accounts of sabbaticals among medical professionals indicate high value from this experience. Benefits seen at the institutional and individual level include, but are not limited to, reduced burnout and increased job retention. Staffing issues, determining eligibility, and justifying time utilized may be just some barriers to implementing a sabbatical program accessible to the health-system pharmacist. In the literature, there is a dearth of information related to sabbaticals granted to the health-system pharmacist. However, many published experiences of nurses and physicians exist.

Objectives: A systematic review was performed to synthesize a qualitative yet evidence-based summary of information regarding sabbaticals. The primary aim of this review was to assess the reported benefits and prohibitive factors of taking a sabbatical as it may apply to the health-system pharmacist.

Methods: Three hundred twenty-eight English-language articles were identified through searching Ovid Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL and Scopus from database inception through December 6, 2019.

Results: A total of 172 articles consisting of studies, descriptions of institutional processes, individual accounts, editorials and letters to the editor, and review articles were included in this systematic review. Rejuvenation and new perspectives/skills to bring back to practice should be regarded as important benefits by institutional/departmental leadership as well as the benefits of reduced turnover and improved job satisfaction. Numerous barriers to completing a sabbatical can be overcome with proper planning.

Conclusion: This review provides limited insight into benefits and barriers to taking sabbaticals and serves as a basis for health-system pharmacy departments to consider initiating a program if one is not currently in place. Mini-sabbaticals may allow the health-system pharmacist to take a professional time away. Corollaries are drawn between a longitudinal pharmacy research award granted at Mayo Clinic - Rochester and ideas are provided for clinical or educational sabbaticals. It is clear that health-system pharmacy-specific information is lacking, and pharmacy department leadership should be encouraged to continue to share experiences of sabbaticals and outcomes.