Date of Award

5-1-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

General Science

First Advisor

Susanna Scott

Second Advisor

Oscar Beltran

Abstract

Burnout and compassion fatigue rates are on the rise for nearly all healthcare professions and specialties, leading to serious harm for both patient and provider. Perpetuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry has been left in disarray as the world returns to “normal”. Currently, Butler University is educating and training undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of healthcare settings that are soon subjected to high rates of burnout and compassion fatigue. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of burnout and compassion fatigue rates in pre-health professional and health professional students in the context of completing preparatory clinical hours amid a pandemic. Specifically, this study analyzes students' intended career paths, completed patient care hours, and specialties worked in as a framework for the subjective experiences of burnout and compassion fatigue. Linear regression analysis identified potential risk factors including an increased risk of personal and work-related burnout for females, high compassion satisfaction in those intending to become a physician with the opposite seen in pharmacists, and low levels of burnout in those who have worked in non-pharmacy related patient care roles. The implications of these findings suggest that certain student profiles could benefit from preventative burnout and compassion fatigue programs through means of subjective assessments, educational trainings, and intentional support systems in an effort to equip students with the necessary tools to combat burnout and compassion fatigue before entering their desired professions.

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