Burnout in Health Care: Causes, Impact, and Solutions
Presented by Erika del Pozo
12-Month Subscription
Unlimited access to:
- Thousands of CE Courses
- Patient Education
- Home Exercise Program
- And more
Burnout has become a hot topic in today’s workplace; however, this phenomenon has been researched for several decades and presents as an ongoing challenge in our modern work world. Beyond the buzz, burnout carries significant consequences for individuals, teams, and organizations. This introductory course provides health care professionals across all settings with essential information about burnout to enhance work well-being and work-life satisfaction. It is pertinent that health care professionals understand how burnout develops, the root causes of burnout, and the personal and professional outcomes associated with burnout, including the impact on patient safety and satisfaction. This course provides you with basic information and awareness, and an introduction to multilevel solutions to address this problem.
Meet your instructor
Erika del Pozo
Erika del Pozo, MOT, OTR/L, holds a BA in dance and a master's degree in occupational therapy from Nova Southeastern University. Erika has practiced in outpatient pediatrics for five years and also has experience working with older adults with progressive neurological conditions. Erika served as an adjunct professor at Nova…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. What Is Burnout?
You’ve probably heard of burnout, but do you really know what it is? This chapter dives into burnout basics, including the three fundamental components that represent burnout, relevant statistics about burnout in the health care industry, and how burnout typically develops. Lastly, the biggest myths about burnout are exposed and debunked in this chapter.
2. The Main Causes of Burnout
Burnout doesn’t just impact individuals, but also teams, organizations, safety, and quality of patient care. This chapter explores the main personal and professional causes that contribute to burnout in health care professionals, along with the devastating outcomes associated with burnout. Various assessments that are used to measure the intensity of burnout in health care professionals, including the gold standard, are offered in this chapter.
3. Modern-Day Stressors and Work Demands
We live in a modern society that favors long hours at work, and it’s no surprise that we live in constant stress mode 24/7. This chapter dissects the challenges of working in the modern world, including work demands and expectations in the United States, especially in health care. Understanding how our bodies respond to stress, the impact of chronic stress, and how chronic stress can develop into burnout will help us succeed in our careers.
4. Job Demands-Resources Model and Job Crafting
Research indicates that high demands and low resources at work create the perfect recipe for burnout. This chapter examines the Job Demands-Resources model developed by Arnold Bakker and the concept of job crafting as an intervention to address burnout in workers. Job crafting examples, as they relate to reducing demands and improving resources for workers, will be offered in this chapter.
5. How Can We Fix the Problem?
There is no singular solution that will solve burnout, but rather holistic and multilevel approaches that must work together to produce optimal work-life satisfaction, organizational commitment, and thriving. This chapter introduces personal, team, and organizational-level interventions to effectively address the root causes and symptoms of burnout. Lastly, this chapter explores the benefits of implementing these strategies.
