Examining Change in Burnout and Empathy Among Physician Assistant Students During the Clinical and Didactic Years

Few studies investigate how burnout affects physician assistant's student empathy. This study aimed to determine the degree of burnout and empathy in didactic PA students as compared to burnout and empathy in their clinical year. Methods: One cohort of PA students at a Midwestern university were surveyed twice during their education. Once during didactic and once during the clinical year. Two surveys were used to assess burnout and empathy. Results: Our findings showed moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization at the end of the didactic phase and significant improvement in lack of personal achievement and emotional exhaustion at the end of their clinical year. Our study revealed no significant relationship between empathy and burnout at either time point. Conclusion: Understanding how burnout and empathy change as healthcare students transition into practice is critical. This understanding can aid in comprehension of these issues in healthcare education and curricular design.