Academic Burnout Among Master of Public Health Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Burnout, a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, reduced personal accomplishment, and depersonalization, has been studied in the workplace and among medical professionals; however, it has yet to be extensively studied within Master of Public Health (MPH) students. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics related to burnout among MPH students. Methods Participants were selected from those students enrolled in or alumni from an MPH program. A survey, which included demographic questions and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Scale, was used for this study. Data were collected using the Qualtrics survey software and analyzed using IBM SPSS v. 29. Results Thirty-six participants completed the survey. Study results showed that 22% of the participants indicated feeling emotionally drained every day while in the MPH program, over 50% considered dropping from the MPH program, and 13% had taken steps to drop from the MPH program. Moreover, while nearly 97% of study respondents indicated having experienced symptoms related to burnout and 93% indicated knowing about on-campus counseling services, only 27% used the counseling services. Discussion Burnout was found among the study population with several factors contributing to its presence. The findings suggest it is imperative for graduate programs to pay attention to and address this issue which may impact a student’s ability to successfully complete their program. Translation to Health Education Practice The study highlights the need for the implementation of health education strategies to address burnout among MPH students. A AJHE Self-Study quiz is online for this article via the SHAPE America Online Institute (SAOI) http://portal.shapeamerica.org/trn-Webinars