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Samuel T. Ayers
Professor Donahue
Sociology 101
6 May 2013
Job Dissatisfaction and Burnout Rates within a Healthcare Setting
Being a healthcare worker presents itself with a lot of positives and negatives with
regards to lifestyle within and outside of work. Analyses of healthcare work environments
reveals a strong correlation between work environment issues and job dissatisfaction/burnout.
Evidence shows that more than one-third of caregivers continue to provide intense care to
others while suffering from poor health themselves (Family Caregiver Alliance 1). Healthcare
workers are placed in a tough predicament due to their responsibilities of caring for others, but
they must also remember to care for themselves as well.
The focus of my research is: Does a healthcare work environment directly correlate with
employee job dissatisfaction/increased rates of burnout? Research has generalized that
caregivers have lower levels of subjective well-being and physical health than noncaregivers
(Family Caregiver Alliance 2). If an individual is a healthcare worker that is required to display
emotion work (defined as: when employees are required by the employer to regulate their
emotions in order to display appropriate emotions to the client (Kovacs et al. 433)), then they
will have increased complaints of job dissatisfaction and burnout (defined as: a syndrome of
emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment occurring in
people-oriented and service work (Kovacs et al. 433)).
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To test my hypothesis, I used a survey to gather my research. I dispersed a survey of 10
questions to the staff on the unit I currently work at Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center.
There are 150 employees staffed on the unit that provide direct patient care, also referred to by
definition as emotion work. Through the creation of my survey, I ensured to include both
quantitative/qualitative data to gather my research data. Of the 150 surveys dispersed to my
peer group of employees on the IMC unit at Franklin Square Medical Center, I received 96
surveys in return from a wide variety of disciplines that interact with patients on a daily basis
including MFTs, RNs, PAs, and SWs. The survey was based on a numerical scoring system
from 0 (representing the most unhappy/dissatisfied) to 5 (representing the most happy/satisfied),
and a quantitative section including length of employment/hours worked per week. The
information gathered included information such as: overall job satisfaction, help provided by
peer group on a daily basis, emotional involvement during the work day, ability to leave work
issues at work, self-care measures utilized by employees, and quantitative data including length
of employment and hours worked per week on the IMC.
The data obtained from the survey strongly correlated with evidence found in the
supporting articles obtained. Overall, the individuals that completed the survey rated on average
their job satisfaction rating of a 2-3/5. The lowest satisfaction ratings were noted to be obtained
by individuals who also stated that they felt as if they had lack of support while at work, and
were unable to leave their work in the work environment. My research data also displayed that
caregivers are less likely to engage in preventive health behaviors (Family Caregiver Alliance
3). Self-care lacks within these employees, leaving the caregiver at an increased risk of
developing emotional disorders/healthcare risks physically.
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A study completed in Hungary in 2007-2008 to determine predictors of occupational
burnout, also showed similar evidence as found in my study. In this particular study, multiple
questionnaires were distributed to healthcare workers in Hungary. In return, there was found to
be a strong correlation between emotional exhaustion and depersonalizationwith display of
negative emotions and with emotional dissonance (Kovacs et al. 435). Also, their hypothesis
was proven to be correct with regards to increased emotion work predicting burnout. The
interesting results that were also noted in my research was that the length of employment did not
correlate with burnout/job dissatisfaction. This surprised me due to my belief that the longer you
worked in a negative environment, the more likely it would be that you would feel as if you
would rather choose another career path or place of employment. A difference that was
displayed in my research that was not indicated in this study is that the amount of hours put in
per week did not correlate with rates of burnout. On the unit I currently work, there was a
positive correlation between hours worked per week and high rates of burnout/job
dissatisfaction. On the IMC at Medstar Franklin Square we are currently understaffed, leaving
high rates of need for overtime from the current staff. A lot of the staff that provide direct
patient care do volunteer to fill this void of staffing, but in return they end up rating their job
dissatisfaction at a higher level due to being overwhelmed with the negative surroundings while
at work on a daily basis.
The second study I discovered during my research was completed in Asia to determine
the impact of the work environment on the emotional health [of hospital employees] in a
general hospital setting (Chan, Huak 207). This study also obtained its data from dispersing
multiple questionnaires to hospital employees. Another similarity found between this research
data and mine from my survey is that the employees are less satisfied with the relationship
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dimension of their work environment (Chan, Huak 210). The results from my survey yielded a
high rate of dissatisfaction when discussing colleague support/supervisor support on a routine
day on the IMC. With the high acuity of patient care provided by these individuals, the stress
accumulated and pressure placed on each individual caring for these patients is extravagant.
Physical workload including shortage of time is the foremost stressor (Chan, Huak 210). Our
unit is a 48 bed unit that is staffed by approximately 9 nurses each day and 6 MFTs (when fully
staffed). With the level of acuity being high on most days, all the staff is pushed extremely hard
to ensure the safety of their patients, as well as being able to admit/discharge patients. This
leaves lack of time for breaks, lunch-time, and time to ensure that documentation is accurate. It
increases employees stress level because of the importance of life/death matters as a healthcare
worker, and it leaves you questioning yourself when leaving work each day ensuring that you
have completed all necessary requirements/paperwork per hospital protocol.
When reviewing the data accumulated through my personal data collection (via my
survey), and through the supporting articles/studies, I related this information obtained to the
symbolic-interaction approach of sociology. As an employee entering the healthcare
profession, you experience a variety of situations each and every day. Each of these situations
places you in different predicaments. A lot of information obtained from patients is via
nonverbal communication, by observing their facial features/expressions when discussing
sensitive topics, or assessing them for healthcare matters. Some days as a healthcare worker you
feel as if you have all the support you need because you may have had an easy day, while other
days you are faced with troublesome situations/burdens. The negative days are days that make
you highly dissatisfied with your employment and these days are the days that result with high
rates of burnout. Therefore, behavior and meaning change from person to person and from one
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situation to another (Macionis 15). Social interaction between patient and healthcare worker
can create negative/positive emotions based on the situation/circumstance. Therefore, there is a
variety of elements that come into play each and every day that would change a persons
subjective opinion of the profession and can either leave you feeling rewarded for your choice in
schooling, or leave you wishing you chose another career path. Like with the culture of
medicine ever-changing, so is the interaction between healthcare employee and patient. As a
healthcare worker, it is imperative to understand that each day on the unit will be completely
different, and that the interactions you face will shape your view of the unit/career itself. Just
like in society, the people that you meet (in this case, your patients), will help shape who you
are/how you display your enjoyment at work on a daily basis. It is important to come to work
each day with an open mind/positive attitude because no day is the same, and you want to
provide your patients with the best experience possible.
The evidence obtained supports my hypothesis that there is a correlation between a
healthcare worker being required to display emotion work and having increased complaints of
job dissatisfaction and burnout. I believe that this data is very concerning when critically
thinking about the population we deal with on a daily basis. Our employees in a healthcare
setting would provide better care if they were satisfied with their jobs, and enjoyed coming to
work each day. Programs have been implemented in some institutions where higher-level
personnel are observing/researching areas of work-related stress to try to help eliminate/reduce
these areas to better improve workplace morale. Also, some institutions have implemented self-
care rewards for employees, where the employee gets rewarded for going to the doctor annually,
and completing self-care tasks/activities each quarter. Overall, there is a lot more research that
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could be completed to gain a better understanding of specific ideas/interventions that can be set
in place in order for healthcare workers to feel more comfortable while at work on a daily basis.
Works Cited
Chan and Chan Yiong Huak. Influence of Work Environment on Emotional Health in a Health
Care Setting. Occupational Medicine 54. (2004). 207-212.
Family Caregiver Alliance. Fact Sheet: Caregiver Health. Web. 4 May 2013.
Kovacs, Kovacs, and Katalin Hegedus. Emotion Work and Burnout: Cross-Sectional Study of
Nurses and Physicians in Hungary. Croat Med J 51. (2010). 432-442.
Macionis, John J. Society: the basics. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2011. Print.