Burnout in Long-Term Care Providers

Brooke D. Holliday, Gardner-Webb University

Abstract

Direct health care workers such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing assistants provide hands on care to millions of older adults that require long term care. Health care providers are the frontline for older adults and are essential to quality of care. Because of the aging population the demand for healthcare workers is increasing. Nursing and nursing assistant jobs are expected to have the biggest employment growth in the next few years. However, there are high turnover rates for health care workers in long term care. High turnover rates affect the quality of care patients receive, patient outcomes, facilities, and employees. This study determined the extent of burnout among nursing staff in two long term care facilities in North Carolina, and the relationship between burnout, age, and years of work experience. Two instruments were used to gather data: a demographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS). The final sample for this study included 60 participants, 13 licensed practical nurses, 27 nursing assistants, and 20 registered nurses. The researcher found that this sample of long term care nursing staff did not meet the criteria for burnout. The researcher also found that age had a significant negative correlation with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, that is, as the nurse’s age increased emotional exhaustion and depersonalization decreased.