Examining Assessment Tools to Predict Burnout Among Healthcare Practitioners and Students

The U.S. health system is stretched thin by pressures to expand service delivery and improve outcomes while reducing costs. This pressure is intensified by global health crises and other factors, resulting in further reductions in the healthcare workforce due to burnout. The strain leaves healthcare practitioners at risk of experiencing negative consequences of burnout, even death [1]. This study explored the correlations between three validated assessment tools to determine if early signs of burnout in healthcare practitioners and students can be identified succinctly, thus expanding the current body of evidence on the strengths of environments supporting career retention and healthcare practitioners’ long-term well-being. Results found a statistically significant (α = 0.05), strongly positive correlation (.621) between compassion satisfaction, a subscale of the Professional Quality Of Life (ProQOL), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), along with a statistically significant (α = 0.05), strongly negative (-.552) correlation between the compassion satisfaction and burnout subscales of the ProQOL. Organizational changes toward practitioner and student thriving can prevent and substantially reduce burnout, fostering academic and workplace environments conducive to practitioner thriving, leading to better overall patient care.