Workplace empowerment and burnout in Canadian nephrology nurses

Nephrology nurses, like nurses in other areas, are impacted by the stress in their work environment. As recruitment and retention issues become more apparent, research in the area of conditions of work life for nephrology nursing has emerged, as an important area of study. Burnout has been reported as high as one in every three nephrology nurses (Flynn, Thomas-Hawkins, & Clarke, 2009). This cross-sectional study examined the influence of empowerment on burnout. Total empowerment was negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion in the bivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that access to resources and nursing education had an influence on burnout for nephrology nurses. Access to resources was a significant negative predictor of burnout for nephrology nurses. Degree-prepared nurses were more likely to experience burnout. Application of these results by providing access to resources for nephrology nurses may impact on occupational burnout.