Burnout in Acute Care Nurse Practitioners

Burnout is a pervasive and well-documented issue in healthcare that negatively impacts both the well-being of providers and the quality of patient care. Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ACNPs) play a critical role in delivering complex, high-acuity care, often under demanding conditions that may contribute to elevated levels of burnout. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of burnout among ACNPs and to examine the relationship between burnout and work-related factors within the acute care environment. Guided by Maslach and Leiter’s Multidimensional Theory of Burnout, burnout was conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. Using a descriptive correlational quantitative design, this study utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel to measure burnout and the Areas of Worklife Survey to assess six domains of the work environment: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The research aimed to determine the prevalence and extent of burnout among ACNPs and to identify which work-related factors were most strongly associated with the three dimensions of burnout. It was hypothesized that burnout would be prevalent among ACNPs and that significant negative associations would exist between burnout and adverse work environment factors. Understanding the relationship between work environment characteristics and burnout is critical for informing strategies that support practitioner resilience and promote sustainable practice environments. The significance of this study lies in its potential to guide healthcare organizations and policymakers in developing targeted interventions to mitigate burnout, enhance professional satisfaction, and improve patient outcomes. By identifying specific workplace domains most strongly linked to burnout, this research contributes to the growing body of evidence needed to address provider well-being at both the individual and organizational levels.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD in Nursing (Doctoral)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing Science

Grantor

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Cockron, Wendy Ann

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Surname, Given Name (emailaddress@utmb.edu)

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Carter, Patricia (pacarter@UTMB.EDU)
• Graves, Letitia (legraves@UTMB.EDU)
• Hamlin, Shannan (shamlin@houstonmethodist.org)
• Pontiff,Ryan, Pontiff (rypontif@UTMB.EDU)

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/12811

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utmb-ir.tdl.org:2152.3/12811