Feasibility study for a peer support program for early career community pharmacists focusing on understanding and managing the emotional impact of significant events – Protocol for a longitudinal study

This study is testing the feasibility of an online peer support program for early career community pharmacists in Australia. Pharmacists — especially those in their first few years of practice — can be significantly affected by emotionally difficult events at work, such as dispensing errors, complaints, or patient harm, yet there are few structured programs to help them process these experiences. The program being tested is modelled on the Hand-N-Hand Peer Support initiative, originally created for medical professionals. Pharmacists who are eligible will be invited to participate in the online program and complete surveys over time to help researchers understand whether such a program is practical, acceptable, and valued. The study is longitudinal, meaning participants will be followed over a period of time to track changes in wellbeing and job satisfaction. The long-term goal is to develop an ongoing peer support model for the pharmacy profession. You may be eligible if you are a registered pharmacist with less than ten years of experience working in an Australian community pharmacy. You are not eligible if you are still a student or intern pharmacist, have more than ten years of registered experience, are not currently working in community pharmacy, or are experiencing active symptoms of severe unmanaged mental illness.