Clinical teacher burnout and self-perception of clinical supervision performance

Abstract

Burnout is a chronic work-related stress phenomenon which can be caused by situational factors such as demanding jobs, as well as individual factors such as demographic characteristics and work experience. In this study, the researcher aimed to find out the prevalence of clinical teacher burnout and the association between clinical teacher burnout and self-perception of clinical supervision by using online questionnaires. All respondents were clinical teachers actively working at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital who were assigned to perform clinical supervision and patient care at the same time. These demanding jobs can cause higher burnout rates. The prevalence of clinical teacher burnout was 7.9%. However, 64.9% of the respondents were classified into burnout, overextended, disengaged, and ineffective burnout profiles. No statistical significance was found in the association between demographic, work-related, or clinical supervision-related factors and the four burnout profiles. Data obtained from open-ended questionnaires showed that two-thirds of respondents mentioned creating a safe learning environment as the area they want to improve. Additional information related to burnout, such as workload, relationship with others, and self-ineffectiveness, was also mentioned in answers to open-ended questions. To conclude, even though there are no significant factors in clinical supervision that associate with burnout, there are some other important demanding factors that could contribute to burnout. Implication of the Thesis: The study results of this thesis could be used for internal faculty development in the institution. Understanding burnout can lead to long-term organizational development, which could be achieved by implementing burnout protective or preventative strategies by reducing job demands and enhancing job resources for clinical teachers.