A strategy to combat burnout in advanced practice providers

A study from the Infectious Diseases Department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reveals how they successfully reduced burnout among their advanced practice providers (APPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Recognizing the risk of burnout due to the combined effects of work-related stress and personal psychological stress related to the pandemic, several infectious diseases (ID) departmental physician associates (PAs) proposed a work schedule change.  Instead of the PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) having a traditional 5-day/8 hours per day workweek, a 4-day/10 hours per day workweek was implemented.  

Clinician burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (assessing occupational exhaustion, depersonalization/loss of empathy, and personal accomplishment) and survey questions regarding job satisfaction and achieving professional goals.  The ID department APPs were surveyed at baseline, 3 months, 7 months, and 1 year after their work schedules were condensed.  

At baseline, before starting their new work schedules, the department’s APPs reported borderline high levels of occupational exhaustion, moderate levels of depersonalization, low levels of personal accomplishment, moderate job satisfaction with poor work-life balance, and expressed feelings of having little time to work on professional goals.

One year after implementing a condensed workweek, the PAs and NPs reported low levels of occupational exhaustion, low levels of depersonalization, moderate-to-high levels of personal accomplishment, improved job satisfaction and work-life balance, and improved achievement of professional goals.   

Furthermore, the ID department observed fiscal gains and increased APP retention/recruitment levels in the year following the schedule adjustment.

Would a condensed workweek benefit you and your APP colleagues?

-Nikki Rataj Casady, DMSc, PA-C

email@appcolleague.org