BURNOUT IN THE NURSE EDUCATOR ROLE

Purpose: To examine the relationship of family and work balance and other role factors with burnout in nurse educators.

Background: The U. S. is projected to have a significant shortage of nurses to meet the demands of a growing healthcare sector over the next 20 years (AACN, 2014). One factor contributing to the shortage is stagnant nursing school enrollment that is unable to meet the increasing demands for nursing services, due to faculty shortages across the country. Issues of nursing faculty recruitment and retention have been linked to a limited number of doctoral prepared nurses, higher paying employment in the private sector, high faculty workload, burnout and job dissatisfaction, disinterest in conducting research, and an aging workforce (AACN, 2011; Disch, Edwardson, & Adwan, 2004). Understanding factors related to faculty burnout and dissatisfaction is critical to develop strategies to better recruit and retain nursing faculty.  One of the key factors that may lead to faculty burnout and dissatisfaction is the balance of their work and family roles, which few studies have explored the complex relationship.

Methods: A stratified, random sample of approximately 1200 nursing faculty from universities and community colleges throughout the country were approached via email to participate during spring 2009 semester using web-based Surveymonkey.com® software. General demographic and work related information were collected. How well faculty perceived their overall ‘fit’ between their work and family roles was assessed by a modified 12-item Work and Family Conflict Scale. This scale includes 4 subscales that measure the degree of conflict between the work and family roles related to either time or strain. Burnout was measured using a modified Shirom–Melamed Burnout Scale.

Results: The survey was completed by 287 nursing faculty across the U.S. Using multiple regression analysis, we will examine the relationships between work and family dynamics and burnout among nursing faculty. This data will be ready to present by the date of the conference.  

Implications: This study describes some of the complexity in the relationship between work and family role commitments and burnout experienced by nurse faculty.  By understanding the factors leading to burnout in nurse educators, we can better support faculty in the role and develop models to retain and recruit new faculty to the educator role.

Supported by: UNC School of Nursing Grant: Promoting Research Inquiry through Scholarly Mentorship (PRISM)