Predictors of job burnout among fieldwork supervisors of social work students

Abstract

Summary In the helping professions, professional burnout is widely acknowledged to play a key role in work retention and turnover. However, although the literature on fieldwork education in social work engages with the importance of continuity and commitment regarding the role of fieldwork supervisor, the effects of job burnout are under-researched. Furthermore, there is also a gap in the literature with respect to the internal factors that contextualize burnout and retention among fieldwork supervisors. Against this background, the objective of the present study was to examine the factors that predict professional burnout among fieldwork supervisors in Israel. Questionnaires measuring burnout, as well as several internal explanatory factors for burnout—career identity, work significance, and personality traits—were used. Findings The findings of the study indicated that career identity, together with the personality characteristics of agreeableness and consciousness predict burnout negatively, while neuroticism positively predicts burnout. Applications The article discusses these findings in light of resource conservation and existential theories of burnout, as well as the potential implications for practice and policy.