Investigating Physician Assistant Burnout Amidst the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: A Qualitative Survey Response From Practicing PAs in Canada
Burnout among Canadian PA during COVID
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5203/jcanpa.v3i8.909Keywords:
Burnout, Physician Assistants, Mental Health among Health ProfessionalsAbstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an underlying element of burnout among practicing Physician Assistants (PAs) across Canada during the global COVID-19 pandemic and uncover any potential solutions for this arduous problem. A survey encompassing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)and qualitative questions were emailed to practicing Canadian PAs. A total of 118 practicings PAs fully completed the survey; the majority reported high levels of burnout, specifically on depersonalization and emotional exhaustion subscales, while all maintained a high level of personal accomplishment simultaneously. The majority of respondent PAs listed increased staffing, increased time off/consistent scheduling, and pandemic pay among others as major solutions to alleviate burnout in the future. In conclusion, Canadian PAs working during the global pandemic are indeed experiencing burnout, all while displaying a high level of resilience in certain MBI subscales. The individual responses provided by these frontline workers may highlight critical solutions that may be generalized to other healthcare jobs in order to prevent future occupational burnout.
References
Burnout an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases [Internet]. World Health Organization. World Health Organization; 2019 [cited 2021 Jan24]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-anoccupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
Maslach C, Jackson SE. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behaviour. 1981;2(2):99–113.
Canada Public Health Agency of the Government of Canada [Internet]. Canada.ca. Government of Canada/Gouvernement du Canada; 2021 [cited 2021Jan24]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novelcoronavirus-infection/health-professionals.html
Osborn M, Satrom J, Schlenker A, Hazel M, Mason M, Hartwig K. Physician assistant burnout, job satisfaction, and career flexibility in Minnesota. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. 2019;32(7):41–7.
PA Facts: CAPA - ACAM [Internet]. CAPA. [cited 2021Mar6]. Available from: https://capa-acam.ca/about-pas/pa-fact-sheet/
How to Determine the Correct Survey Sample Size [Internet]. Qualtrics. 2021 [cited 2021Mar6]. Available from: https://www.qualtrics.com/experiencemanagement/research/determine-sample-size/
Lindsay S. The Feminization of the Physician Assistant Profession. Women & Health. 2005;41(4):37–61.
About PAs: CAPA - ACAM [Internet]. CAPA. [cited 2021Apr17]. Available from: https://capa-acam.ca/about-pas/
Jones IW, St-Pierre N. Physician assistants in Canada. Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. 2014;27(3):11–3.
Physician Assistants - College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta [Internet]. CPSA. 2021 [cited 2021Apr17]. Available from: https://cpsa.ca/physician-assistants/
Bradley M, Chahar P. Burnout of healthcare providers during COVID-19. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2020;
Find physician support services: [Internet]. Canadian Medical Association. [cited 2021Apr17]. Available from: https://www.cma.ca/supportline
Canada PHA of Government of Canada [Internet]. Mental health support: get help - Canada.ca. / Gouvernement du Canada; 2020 [cited 2021Apr17]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mentalhealth-get-help.html
West CP, Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions. Journal of Internal Medicine. 2018;283(6):516–29.
Albuquerque J., Tulk, S,. Physician suicide. CMAJ May 06, 2019 191 (18) E505; DOI: https://doi-org.uml.idm.oclc.org/10.1503/cmaj.181687
100 Best Jobs of 2021 [Internet]. U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report; [cited 2021Apr17]. Available from: https://money.usnews.com/careers/bestjobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Evan Nanni, MPAS, PA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors published in the Journal of Canada's Physician Assistants (JCanPA) retain copyright of their articles, including all drafts and final published version. By agreeing to publish in JCanPA, authors grant the journal the right of first publication and distribution rights of the articles. Authors are free to submit their work to other publications in addition to JCanPA, provided they acknowledge its initial publication in JCanPA.
JCanPA is published online in the public domain. JCanPA holds no legal responsibility as to how these materials are used by the public. Please ensure all authors, co-authors, and investigators have read and agree to these terms.