Abstract
TS34
Introduction: Healthcare worker burnout is not a new phenomenon. It may have been brought to the attention of the general public because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has been a constant in the healthcare field for years. A meta-analysis published in 2021 found that 52% of healthcare workers were experiencing overall burnout (1). In addition, the study found that 51% of healthcare workers were experiencing emotional exhaustion and 52% were experiencing depersonalization (1).
In January 2023, an analysis of the nuclear medicine technologist workforce and education was published. The study found an overall downward trend of new NMT’s. There has been a 27% decrease in student programs, 15% decrease in students seeking certification, 23% decrease in graduating students, and 46% decrease in certification examinees (2). These declining numbers combined with an estimated 37% increase in NMT demand results in a 15-25% technologist shortage by 2030 (2).
While there is clearly technologist shortage, the reason behind the data provided above is unknown. The purpose of this research project is to proactively survey technologists on their current workplace burnout and to gather information on what impacts this has on them and their departments. More specifically, we wanted to know if burnout is a contributing factor to technologists leaving the field.
Methods: A 15-question survey was sent to lead nuclear medicine technologists in the St. Louis area who then forwarded the survey to their team of technologists. Due to significant respondent error, 1 survey question was not used in the analysis. Approximately 50 technologists could participate in the survey, but the exact number who received it is unknown. The survey was open between January 5, 2023 and February 9, 2023. It was requested that only technologists working in direct patient care would complete the survey. All respondents were only able to submit one response. The survey contained multiple choice, check-all-boxes, and free response questions, which focused on the technologists career plans and burnout experience. The survey was designed so that all responses were anonymous.
Results: The survey received 27 responses. One response was deleted due to the technologist not currently working in direct patient care, so 26 responses were used for data analysis. Of these respondents, 20 were female and 6 were male. Twenty-one work in an acute care facility/hospital, and the others either worked in research or an outpatient clinic. None of the respondents plan to leave their position in the next year. However, 13 respondents have frequent thoughts of leaving. Nine of these respondents feel as though they are experiencing burnout. When asked if burnout was affecting their work performance, 7 answered "Yes" or "Unsure". Of these respondents, 3 felt that their personal productivity had been affected, 4 that their interactions with coworkers had been affected, 3 that their personal lives had been affected, 2 that patient care techniques were affected, and 1 that department productivity had been affected. Respondents who did not have plans nor thoughts of leaving selected why they enjoyed their position. Seven liked their pay, 9 their job security, 9 an enjoyable work environment, 7 their flexible work hours, and 8 their satisfaction with the work.
Conclusions: The results do not support the original hypothesis that the current nuclear medicine technologist shortage, in part, is due to burned-out technologists leaving their position. However, it does bring to light that many are experiencing burnout. As the results showed, burnout can have a significant impact on both work life and personal life. It would be beneficial to further investigate the source of technologist burnout. The Ghahramani study mostly evaluated nurses and physicians, but the results of this survey indicate that burnout is currently an issue in nuclear medicine and will continue to escalate.