Academic Burn Out and its Contributing Factors Among Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Background of the study: Academic burnout is particularly important for nursing students because they will become nurses in the future. Many newly graduated nurses eventually experience burnout and job dissatisfaction in the clinical settings in which they work because of their prior experiences with stress and burnout during their school years. This situation ultimately results in poor-quality nursing services, leaving the nursing profession, and eventually the shortage of nurses. The purpose of the study was to evaluate academic burnout among undergraduate nursing students and the factors that contribute to it. Objectives: To determine the level of academic burnout and its contributing factors among undergraduate nursing students. Materials and methods: To examine academic burnout and the factors that contribute to it among undergraduate nursing students, a descriptive survey approach was used. Based on inclusion criteria, 120 undergraduate nursing students were chosen using a stratified random sample technique. Academic burnout and its causes were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale and Questionnaire on contributing factors. Karl Pearson correlation coefficient was adopted to examine the relation between the academic burnout and contributing factors. Chi square test was used to assess the association between academic burnout and its contributing factors with selected demographic variables. Result: The three domains used to assess academic burnout revealed the following results: professional efficacy 23.45 (26.05%), emotional weariness 12.37 (13.74%), and cynicism 9.48 (10.53%). The average academic burnout score for all undergraduate nursing students was 45.3 (50.3%), which suggested a moderate level of burnout. Academic burnout was attributed to factors such as the institution's use of teaching methodologies (r=-.22, p=.010.05), the year of study (r= -.62, p=0.000.05), and the frequency of exposure to clinical settings (r=.60, p=.000.05). Conclusion: The study found that undergraduate nursing students experienced a moderate level of academic burnout and characteristics like the institution's teaching methods, the academic year, and the frequency of exposure to clinical settings all contributed to academic burnout among undergraduate nursing students.