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WHAT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF BURNOUT?

ByShayne Foley PA-C
Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

WHAT FACTORS INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF BURNOUT?

According to this article by Essary, et. al: “…small studies suggest that rates of burnout among PAs may be similar to rates among physicians, between 34 percent and 64 percent.”  Put another way, burnout affects half of all PAs, and according to this article by Shanafelt, et. al., these rates are higher than that of most other professions.

Within the medical profession, the following demographics and features may increase the likelihood of burnout:  

  • Specialty (Emergency Medicine, Primary Care, Hospice and Palliative Care, and Oncology are shown HERE to have the highest rates for PAs)
  • Female gender (shown HERE)
  • Age (Generation X, 40-54 years old, has the highest rates — shown HERE)

The Mayo Clinic states HERE that if you agree with the following statements, you may be at an  increased risk of developing burnout:

  • “You identify so strongly with work that you lack balance between your work life and your personal life.
  • You have a high workload, including overtime work.
  • You try to be everything to everyone.
  • You work in a helping profession, such as health care.
  • You feel you have little or no control over your work.
  • Your job is monotonous.”

DISCLAIMERS: 1) The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer. 2) I don’t know what I don’t know, so feel free to message me if you don’t agree with something that you read. 3) I don’t earn any money from the hyperlinks that I’ve included.

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