Assessment of Burnout Among Faculty Members at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and Its Association with Demographic Factors

Background and purpose: Considering the critical role of faculty members in educating students, assessing burnout among faculty members in medical universities is essential. Understanding their burnout status helps officials make effective decisions, improve the quality of work life, and increase overall effectiveness. This study aimed to determine the level of burnout among faculty members at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MAZUMS). Materials and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included a total of 125 faculty members selected via convenience sampling. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a validated questionnaire consisting of three subscales: emotional exhaustion (9 items), depersonalization (5 items), and personal accomplishment (9 items), with a reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) as well as the Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. Results: The results indicated that the mean (σ) of job burnout, in terms of frequency and intensity, was 6.01 (0.90) and 6.04 (0.95), respectively. The mean (σ) of job burnout dimensions, in terms of frequency and severity, were as follows: for emotional exhaustion, 5.91 (1.10) and 6.06 (0.95); for depersonalization, 6.29 (1.60) and 6.29 (0.95); and for personal accomplishment, 5.82 (0.81) and 5.78 (0.92), respectively. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between job burnout and its dimensions with gender (P> 0.05). However, there was a significant relationship between marital status and overall job burnout (P=0.039) as well as the emotional exhaustion dimension (P=0.015). Also, there was no significant relationship between job burnout and its dimensions with faculty school (P=0.268) or education level (P=0.500). In contrast, the emotional exhaustion dimension showed a significant relationship with academic rank (P=0.035) and type of employment (P=0.029). Conclusion: Despite the relatively low levels of burnout among faculty members, it is recommended that burnout be assessed with consideration of demographic variables and differences between basic science and clinical faculty members. Appropriate measures should be taken to monitor and manage the prevalence of burnout