Veterinary Technicians and Occupational Burnout.

Lori R Kogan,Madeline Richards,Peter W Hellyer,Regina Schoenfeld-Tacher,Jean E Wallace

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00328

Abstract

Burnout and compassion fatigue are common conditions affecting health care providers. Unique occupational conditions in veterinary medicine make technicians especially susceptible to burnout. A total of 1,642 practicing veterinary technicians completed an anonymous online survey comprised of demographic questions, and two tools to assess burnout: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI). Over half of participants (862/1479, 58.3%) had EE scores over the 3.0 threshold for burnout. On the PFI, the total score for the 10 burnout questions was x = 1.54 (SD = 0.75), which is above the 1.33 cutoff for burnout. The mean score of 2.26 (SD = 0.81) on the professional fulfillment scale is also indicative of burnout. The relationship between enabling resources and scores on each MBI-GS scale was analyzed. Schedule control was the most significant predictor of lower EE scores. The perception of adding value to the practice was associated with lower scores on the CY scale and higher scores on the PE scale. Given the correlation between burnout and environmental factors, veterinary practices are encouraged to explore non-monetary mechanisms for enhancing job satisfaction. This includes giving technicians greater control over their schedules, recognizing their contributions to the team, and providing opportunities for professional development. From a morale standpoint, destigmatizing the dirty work done by technicians can also help combat burnout among veterinary technicians.

Highlights

Research pertaining to health care providers’ burnout and compassion fatigue is plentiful within human medical fields
Fewer studies have been conducted pertaining to veterinary professionals, they have reached similar conclusions; namely that burnout and compassion fatigue are common among this population and can lead to serious negative physical, and psychological impact [7]
Participants in our survey reported high levels of burnout across all three dimensions of the MBI: high emotional exhaustion, high cynicism, and low professional efficacy. These results are corroborated by their high Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI) scores on work exhaustion and interpersonal engagement and low scores on professional fulfillment. These findings signal that burnout is a concern for this group of animal health care providers

Summary

Introduction

Research pertaining to health care providers’ burnout and compassion fatigue is plentiful within human medical fields. Compassion fatigue can be defined as exhaustion due to the demands of being empathic and helpful to those who are suffering [8]. It is often the result of witnessing trauma or being involved in another’s painful experience and can lead to burnout—a psychological syndrome comprised of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment [9, 10]. Emotional exhaustion relates to the depletion of one’s emotional resources; depersonalization refers to cynical, callous or detached attitudes toward the job, clients or patients; and lack of personal accomplishment can be defined as a negative self-appraisal of incompetence and ineffectuality [10, 11]. The Maslach Burnout Inventory used in this study is the most commonly used instrument to assess burnout and consists of these three subscales [14]

Methods

Results

Conclusion