Exploring Burnout and Leadership Mitigation Plans in Academic Nursing Environments.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Academic Leadership
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Staff burnout poses a risk to the operational capacity of higher education nursing departments.
• Limited research exists on the specific challenges and manifestations of burnout within nursing colleges and schools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate academic nurse leaders' perspectives on staff burnout within nursing higher education.
• To identify perceived burnout mitigation strategies employed in colleges and schools of nursing.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was utilized.
• The study surveyed associate deans, business officers, and members of the Organizational Leadership Network (n=105).
• The survey focused on identifying burnout prevalence and current mitigation tactics.

Main Results:

• Over 57% of academic leaders identified staff burnout as a major or notable challenge.
• The most frequent manifestations of burnout included staff resignations (56.86%) and difficulties in backfilling positions (54.90%).
• A small fraction of institutions reported active burnout mitigation strategies for faculty (13.33%) and staff (6.67%).

Conclusions:

• A significant disparity exists between recognizing burnout as a critical issue and the implementation of targeted mitigation strategies.
• Creating supportive work environments and fostering professional development are key leadership actions to reduce burnout.
• Addressing burnout is crucial for enhancing overall employee well-being and departmental functionality in nursing education.