Even the newest healthcare workers recognize burnout as one of the risks of the job. The latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data revealed that “46% of health workers reported feeling burned out ‘often’ or ‘very often’ compared to 32% in 2018.”
More recent research from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reveals equally significant burnout and stress trends among health care workers. The persistent burnout rate reminds us that we’re all still trying to recover from the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data also underscores the importance of more proactive organizational support for healthcare workers.
Breakdown of Burnout Results
The VA study, conducted with the input of more than 800,000 participants from 140 medical centers across the country. The researchers combed through info from annual employee surveys between 2018 and 2023.
The team found that burnout among VA health care professionals jumped dramatically during the pandemic. And even though it dipped in 2023 – as lockdowns ended and vaccines became readily available – it remained much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In 2018, 30.4% of VA health care workers reported burnout. That burnout rate accelerated during the pandemic, peaking at 39.8% in 2022. Professional stress associated with COVID-19 peaked at 32% in 2020 and slowly tapered off to 21.4% in 2023.
Primary care physicians reported the highest burnout levels of all analyzed occupations, with PCPs peaking at 57.6% in 2022.
Mental health professionals, dental staff, and rehabilitation service providers also saw some of the most notable spikes in burnout over the six-year period.
“These findings show that burnout isn’t a pandemic-only problem – it’s an ongoing challenge that the health care system must continue to address,” the study’s authors wrote. “Even with the recent decline, burnout remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels.”
Investigating Causes of Burnout
Telework appeared to be one critical component of lower burnout. Workers who telecommuted most of the time reported lower burnout levels compared to those who didn’t. This, the researchers argue, suggests that flexible work arrangements can play a bigger role in employee well-being than we originally thought.
The researchers also looked at how various systemic and individual-level interventions might have helped curb these burnout trends. Since the start of the pandemic, the VA has rolled out multiple strategies targeting staff stress and boosting job satisfaction. Those strategies include:
- Hiring additional staff to trim workloads,
- Expanding telehealth and telework options,
- And introducing “whole health” initiatives that promote holistic well-being.
These organizational changes almost certainly help foster 2023’s modest turnaround. Even so, the authors warn that recovery (while ongoing) remains a work in progress.
Burnout typically progresses over an extended timeframe. And it can be slow to resolve. While pandemic-related professional stress might have fallen off as the nation’s health systems stabilized, many workers still wrestle with the long-term emotional and physical consequences of that generational crisis.
Mitigation Driven By Conversation
This paper underscores the need for targeted interventions tailored to occupation and service area.
For example, emergency department staff face different stressors than those in primary care or mental health. Similarly, the study found that nurses – omitted from most healthcare burnout research – endured elevated levels of emotional exhaustion and stress during the pandemic. Tailoring support options and approaches to flexibility based on role-specific needs could be the most effective solution to long-term recovery.
Most agree that sustained attention to work-life balance, staffing levels, leadership support, and employee autonomy will remain crucial to dragging burnout levels back down to pre-pandemic levels.
But it will take more than that. It’s critical, the authors conclude, that maintaining robust, regular employee feedback systems – such as the VA’s annual employee survey that informed this research – will help health systems monitor progress and adjust strategies accordingly.
While the VA’s efforts have shown some promise, the researchers emphasize that they need more time to better assess the long-term effects of recent workplace changes. They also encourage health care systems nationwide to follow the VA’s experience to foster more supportive staff environments.
“As we move beyond the emergency phase of the pandemic, the healthcare industry must continue investing in employee well-being,” the authors write in conclusion. “Burnout isn’t inevitable — and with the right strategies, it can be reduced.”
Further Reading
Nurse Shortage Drives Up Costs, Threatens Patient Safety
Report: Mental Health Decline Among Healthcare Workers Started During COVID
