Date of Award

Spring 3-2-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Burnout leads to lower quality and quantity of healthcare and mental health services within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system overall. The research examined the correlation between 17 quality of life factors and burnout in the social work and mental health profession within the VA healthcare system. Specifically, it examined the correlation between burnout and the following factors: workload, supervisor involvement, professional development, case load size, administrative tasks, satisfaction with coworkers, flexible work schedules, amount of commute time, amount of time spent of self-care, exercise, teambuilding activities, time spent in staff meetings, amount of groups facilitated, and whether or not strategies to prevent burnout have been implemented. The research is intended to inform strategies that can possibly be implemented to lower rates of burnout among mental health providers and social workers within the VA. Provider burnout leads to lower quality and quantity of healthcare in general (Delgadillo, Saxon, & Barkham, 2018). A review of literature explores recent findings about provider burnout and provides an overview of current interventions being used to mitigate this problem. This research study includes primary data collected from surveys completed by social workers and mental health care providers from nine different VA sites within the Northern California system to assess their current levels of burnout and the possible contributing factors.

Download

Share

COinS