The Impact of Burnout in Emergency Department Nurses and Intent to Leave Employment
Abstract
Burnout is prevalent throughout the nursing community, especially for nurses working in the emergency department (ED). Factors that contribute to ED nurse burnout include: high levels of stress, exposure to traumatic events, and exposure to assaults on nurses. It is estimated that 38% of ED nurses report symptoms of burnout. Burnout affects ED nurses health, ability to care for their patients, job satisfaction and intent to leave employment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between burnout in emergency department nurses and intent to leave employment. This descriptive correlational research study used a single survey. An anonymous survey link was distributed to nurses currently working in the emergency department using social media, and MTurk. Target participants were nurses currently employed in the ED within the United States. When controlling for predictor variables, years of experience, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization significantly influenced ED nurses’ intent to leave employment. Respondents with 5+ years of experience had almost 2 times the odds of leaving. Likewise, respondents with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores above the median had almost 2 times the odds of leaving. Operationally, these findings signify the risk for losing experienced staff and being left with novice staff to manage patient care in the ED. Nurse leaders may want to focus on and closely examine the components of the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scales to better support staff and mitigate feelings of burnout and intent to leave employment.