Perceived Burnout Among Underrepresented Minority Physician Assistant/Associate Educators in the United States

There is a keen interest regarding burnout in academic medicine with an existing need for more studies. The priority population were underrepresented physician assistant/associate (PA) educators in the United States. The purpose was to determine external/internal contributors leading to perceived burnout; investigate whether primary/secondary appraisal inform coping strategies; and determine whether there was an existing relationship between demographic factors and emotional exhaustion (EE).

This study used a mixed-methods design using a convenience sample representative (n = 101). For the quantitative portion, the participants completed a demographics survey and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey from which their average EE score was calculated. For the qualitative portion, 11 participants were interviewed identifying burnout perception, contributors, and coping strategies. Statistical analyses (analysis of variance, Pearson r , t -test, multiple linear regression) were used to determine the relationship between demographic variables and EE. Qualitative data were analyzed and presented categorically.

There was a statistically significant relationship between sex and EE ( t (100) = -2.42, P < 0.05, d = -0.54), demonstrating that women underrepresented minority (URM) PA educators experience burnout at increased rates compared with their men counterparts. There were no statistically significant relationships between age ( r = 0.015, R 2 = 0.000225, P = 0.883), race ( F (1, 98) = 0.108, P = 0.744, η 2 = 0.001), faculty role ( F (1, 97) = 3.09, P = 0.082, η 2 = 0.031), and "years in faculty position" and EE ( F (1, 99) = 0.271, P = 0.604, η 2 = 0.003). The overall predictive model was not statistically significant ( F (5, 92) = 1.859, P = 0.109, R 2 = 0.092, adjusted R 2 = 0.042). The qualitative data offered insight into burnout perception, contributors, coping strategies, current institutional/programmatic burnout strategies, suggested institutional/programmatic burnout strategies, common occupational stressors, initial responses to occupational stressors, and overall experiences of URM PA educators.

The quantitative data demonstrated a significant difference between EE score and gender; no correlation between EE and age; and nonsignificant differences between EE and race, EE, "years in faculty position," and faculty role and demographics as a predictor for EE. These findings are supplemented by the qualitative data with the interviewees relating social isolation secondary to gender and lack of diversity as burnout contributors. Regarding URM PA educator experiences, the participants related their minority status, URM faculty allyship, and being a Black woman in academia as important topics for consideration. These triangulated data can be used to inform future burnout health interventions and research.