Background: Sabbaticals are a professional development experience designed to foster growth and revitalise careers. Sabbaticals are well described in the medical profession but are rare in the pharmacy profession. Benefits for the institution and individual include reduced burnout and increased job retention.
Objective: A Director of Pharmacy (DoP) from a regional tertiary hospital (RH) undertook a 3-month, cross-jurisdictional immersive leadership sabbatical in the Pharmacy Department of a metropolitan multi-site quaternary health service.
Action: The experience was facilitated utilising established professional networks. The DoP was granted unpaid leave and employed by the host service. A role was designed with mutual benefit for both parties, including experiential visits across clinical and operational areas and completion of a strategic project utilising the DoP’s experience and skills.
Evaluation: The project focused on host department strategic and operational planning. Experiential visits were targeted to areas of future service development for the RH including expanded scope clinical services, education, and research. The DoP led forums with the host service leadership team sharing perspective and learnings from the RH, and provided department-wide education on remote health. Learnings were shared with RH senior pharmacy staff in real time, and networking between the two services was facilitated. Upon return to the RH, the DoP hosted members of the host service executive for a collaborative site tour, and a formal partnership was established for 6-monthly regional residency rotations for ongoing collaboration.
Discussion: Extended immersive leadership experiences are not common in the pharmacy profession, but provide a valuable opportunity to expand professional networks, gain fresh perspective, and enhance skills. These experiences can reinvigorate an individual’s career, provide insight and drive for service developments, and offer opportunities for ongoing collaboration. Staff rotations have strengthened the RH’s workforce while providing unique experiences for metropolitan staff in rural, remote and indigenous health.