Areas of work-life that contribute to burnout among higher education health science faculty and perception of institutional support

ABSTRACT

Background

COVID-19 added responsibilities to faculty in health-related fields. Educators in these areas have experienced pandemic-related role strain in both the clinical and academic settings.

Purpose

This investigation sought to identify how health science faculty at one institution perceived challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic in their role and to glean opportunities for institutions to increase the degree of support for faculty.

Methods

An analysis of narrative comments was conducted on a survey assessing burnout and well-being. The survey was distributed to full-time faculty within the College of Health Sciences at a four-year institution. Using the areas of work-life model as a guide, two free-text questions within the survey were analysed to identify major themes.

Results

39 participants contributed narrative responses to the qualitative, open-ended questions. Three themes emerged related to the areas of work-life categories: work-life imbalance, stress and unwellness, and unmet support needs. Strategies for enhanced well-being were noted to be workload management, administrative support, and wellness opportunities.

Conclusions

This analysis provides insight into why health science faculty may be experiencing feelings of disengagement and exhaustion in their work. Enhanced workload and lack of community during the pandemic were major drivers of this phenomenon. Flexibility in workload, genuine concern and appreciation expressed by institutional leaders, and accessible wellness opportunities may help to offset these negative feelings.

KEYWORDS:

• Burnout
• wellness
• areas of work-life
• support
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Boise State OSHER Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Megan Koster

Megan Koster is Department Chair and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Respiratory Care. She has been a Registered Respiratory Therapist since 2007, specializing in neonatal and paediatric intensive care. Koster earned a Master of Health Science with an emphasis in Health Promotion from Boise State University in 2011 and has been full time faculty since. Koster earned her Doctorate in Education from the University of New England in 2017, focusing primarily on innovative methods of identifying and assessing intellect in the undergraduate admissions process. The theory and assessment of both intellect and skill, specifically in clinically-based programmes throughout higher education, continues to be a primary research interest.

Kristen McHenry

Kristen McHenry earned her Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Science in 2005, Master of Science in Allied Health Education in 2013, and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis in 2017, all from East Tennessee State University. She holds a specialty credential in adult critical care (ACCS) which is where she spent most of her career practicing in Bristol, TN. McHenry has served as the co-chair of the Education Committee for the Tennessee Society for Respiratory Care and been an active member of the AARC since 2013. She has a genuine interest in the areas of respiratory compromise in neuromuscular diseases such as ALS and RTs as telehealth providers. Research endeavours also include mentoring and curriculum development within Interprofessional Education and Practice.