title: Health Professionals Facing Burnout: What Do We Know about Nursing Managers?
abstract: Objective. To address the degree of burnout in nursing managers in hospitals of Western Switzerland, including comparison with medical managers, and its relationship with personal, work-related, and organizational characteristics. Methods. Statistical analysis of the scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey from 257 nursing managers who answered a standardized electronic questionnaire. Results. Nursing managers showed a low degree of burnout, which was similar to that of medical managers. Most of them had a low level of emotional exhaustion and a low level of depersonalization, while personal accomplishment was contrasted. Only 2.3% had a high degree of burnout. These findings challenge the hypothesis of high stress being associated with high burnout, as nursing managers can be supposed to have a highly demanding job due to their intermediary position within the hospital hierarchy. Variations of burnout by personal, work-related, and organizational characteristics mainly concerned emotional exhaustion. Conclusion. Though nursing managers face a highly demanding job, they may benefit from resources (including coping strategies and empowerment) which help counterbalance job stress. Unequal distribution of resources may play a central role when facing burnout.
authors.affiliation: Haute Ecole Fribourgeoise de Travail Social, University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Rue Jean-Prouvé 10, 1762 Givisiez, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4843-1654
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Heeb
authors.affiliation: Haute Ecole de Santé ARC, University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Espace de l'Europe 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haberey-Knuessi