Dietetic technicians report low to moderate levels of burnout

Abstract

This study identified and described the status of burnout experienced by dietetic technicians (DTRs) in various settings. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 300 members from the American Dietetic Association’s (ADA’s) Dietetic Technician in Practice practice group. The Maslach Burnout Inventory—Human Services Survey was used to measure burnout. On the emotional exhaustion subscale, the respondents reported a mean score of 20.6 (high level of burnout >27), 5.3 on the depersonalization subscale (high level of burnout >14), and 38.6 on the personal accomplishment subscale (high level of burnout <30). These results suggest that the DTRs as a group perceive themselves to be moderately emotionally exhausted, to have a low level of depersonalization, and to have a high level of personal accomplishment. Further analysis also suggests that DTRs in nontraditional settings experience more personal accomplishment than those in traditional healthcare and foodservice settings.