Dietetic technicians report low to moderate levels of burnout

This study identified and described the status of burnout experienced by dietetic technicians (DTRs) in various settings. A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 300 members from the American Dietetic Association's (ADA's) Dietetic Technician in Practice practice group. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey was used to measure burnout. On the emotional exhaustion subscale, the respondents reported a mean score of 20.6 (high level of burnout >27), 5.3 on the depersonalization subscale (high level of burnout >14), and 38.6 on the personal accomplishment subscale (high level of burnout <30). These results suggest that the DTRs as a group perceive themselves to be moderately emotionally exhausted, to have a low level of depersonalization, and to have a high level of personal accomplishment. Further analysis also suggests that DTRs in nontraditional settings experience more personal accomplishment than those in traditional healthcare and foodservice settings.