Exploring staff turnover, burnout, and resilience in cytology reference laboratories: A workforce qualitative study

The aims of the study were to investigate cytology laboratory staff turnover in the context of workplace stressors and burnout and to explore qualities associated with long career tenure, in order to facilitate the development of future workplace intervention programs.

Using an interpretive qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using a directed and conventional content analysis. Seven participants who had left large cytology reference laboratories were purposively sampled to interview about their experience of leaving their former laboratories. Conventional content analysis was used to inductively generate themes and deductive content analysis was conducted with categories from the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (ie, stress appraisal and coping style).

Three main themes were discerned from the interviews: concerns about the cytology workplace, reasons for choosing to leave, and strategies for coping with stress. Demand for productivity was the most commonly cited concern among cytotechnologists, followed by work-life balance, and musculoskeletal strain related to microscopic screening. The top reason given for people choosing to leave the commercial laboratories was the lack of work-life balance, and the second was the lack of professional challenges and growth opportunities. Participants with longer job tenure who experienced a promotion described coping with job stress as more optimistic and problem focused.

Opportunities exist within large commercial laboratories for improving the work environment to reduce workplace burnout and turnover.