Pandemic-Trained Physical Therapists Entered the Workforce More Burned Out But Just as Gritty: A Single-Site...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Psychology
• Physical Therapy Education

Background:

• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students experienced significant burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• These pandemic-affected graduates are now entering the physical therapy workforce.
• Understanding their transition and well-being is crucial for the profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare burnout and grit levels between DPT graduates educated before the pandemic and those educated during the pandemic.
• To assess the long-term impact of pandemic-related stressors on physical therapy graduates' mental health and resilience.
• To inform support strategies for newly graduated physical therapists.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study comparing two cohorts of entry-level DPT program graduates.
• Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS).
• Grit was measured using the 12-Item Grit Scale.

Main Results:

• Graduates educated during the pandemic (Group B) exhibited significantly higher burnout scores, particularly in Emotional Exhaustion and Personal Accomplishment, compared to pre-pandemic graduates (Group A).
• No significant differences in grit scores were found between the two groups.
• This indicates that resilience, as measured by grit, was not diminished by pandemic education.

Conclusions:

• Physical therapists who completed their DPT education during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced higher levels of burnout.
• Despite increased burnout, pandemic-trained physical therapists demonstrated comparable grit to their pre-pandemic counterparts.
• Employers, mentors, and healthcare organizations must prioritize mental health screening and support for newly graduated clinicians, especially those trained during challenging periods.