Pressures in the Ivory Tower: An Empirical Study of Burnout Scores among Nursing Faculty

Sheila A. Boamah (), Michael Kalu, Rosain Stennett, Emily Belita and Jasmine Travers
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Sheila A. Boamah: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
Michael Kalu: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, 1400 Main Street West, Institute for Applied Health Science (IAHS) Building, Room 403, Hamilton, ON L8S 1C7, Canada
Rosain Stennett: Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
Emily Belita: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
Jasmine Travers: Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, 433 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-12

Abstract: (1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated incidents of burnout among academics in various fields and disciplines. Although burnout has been the subject of extensive research, few studies have focused on nursing faculty. This study aimed to investigate the differences in burnout scores among nursing faculty members in Canada. (2) Method: Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, data were collected via an online survey in summer 2021 using the Maslach Burnout Inventory general survey and analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. (3) Result: Faculty members ( n = 645) with full-time employment status, worked more than 45 h, and taught 3–4 courses reported high burnout (score ≥ 3) compared to those teaching 1–2 courses. Although education levels, tenure status or rank, being on a graduate committee, or the percentage of hours dedicated to research and services were considered important personal and contextual factors, they were not associated with burnout. (4) Conclusions: Findings suggest that burnout manifests differently among faculty and at varying degrees. As such, targeted approaches based on individual and workload characteristics should be employed to address burnout and build resilience among faculty to improve retention and sustain the workforce.

Keywords: burnout; emotional exhaustion; nursing faculty; workload; resilience; retention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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