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. 2022 Oct 11;19(20):13047.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013047.

Burnout and Resilience among Respiratory Therapy (RT) Students during Clinical Training in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Rayan A Siraj  1 , Abdulelah M Aldhahir  2 , Jaber S Alqahtani  3 , Hussam M Almarkhan  3 , Saeed M Alghamdi  4 , Abdullah A Alqarni  5 , Munyra Alhotye  6 , Saleh S Algarni  6 , Fahad H Alahmadi  7 , Mushabbab A Alahmari  8
Affiliations

Burnout and Resilience among Respiratory Therapy (RT) Students during Clinical Training in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

Rayan A Siraj et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The epidemic of burnout has been widely documented among health discipline students. However, there is limited information available on the prevalence of burnout and its association with resilience among clinical-level respiratory therapy (RT) students.

Methods: Between March 2022 and May 2022, a descriptive, cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of RT students and interns was conducted. A total of 559 RT students and interns from 15 RT programs responded to socio-demographic questions and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive, inferential, and correlation tests.

Results: Of the 559 respondents, 78% reported a high level of burnout. Within the three subscales of burnout, 52% reported emotional exhaustion (EE), 59% reported depersonalization (DP), and 55% reported low personal achievement (PA). The prevalence of burnout increased as students proceeded to senior years (p = 0.006). In addition, participants with higher grade point averages (GPA) reported a higher level of burnout. Only 2% of the respondents reported a high level of resiliency. Further, there were negative correlations between resilience and EE (r = -41, p < 0.001) and DP (r = -32, p = 0.03), and a positive correlation with low PA (r = 0.56, p = 0.002).

Conclusion: The findings showed a high prevalence of burnout among RT students and interns during clinical training in Saudi Arabia. Resilience was associated with all domains of burnout and is likely to play a protective role. Therefore, there is a need for collaborative interventions to promote resiliency during clinical training to alleviate and overcome burnout symptoms.

Keywords: burnout; clinical training; resilience; respiratory therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of RT students and interns experiencing burnout across academic levels.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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