When Leaders Don’t Walk the Walk: A National Survey of Academic Nurse Leader Perceptions of Staff Burnout

Abstract

AIM This survey explored nurse leaders’ impressions of burnout on college/school of nursing (CON/SON) administrative staff and leadership-facilitated strategies used to promote resilience building/mitigate burnout.

BACKGROUND Administrative staff are foundational to the success of a university’s CON/SON, yet few studies have explored the impact of burnout in this group.

METHOD Cross-sectional survey distributed to associate dean and business officer attendees of the 2022 American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Business Officers of Nursing Schools meeting (summer 2022) (n = 64).

RESULTS Most respondents lacked a burnout mitigation plan (46/64, 72%); many also lacked a personal strategy for managing their own burnout (46/64, 72%) and did not personally participate in university activities to maintain their well-being (45/64, 70%).

CONCLUSION This study highlights the impact of nurse leaders who fail to model self-care, which may limit the benefit of costly burnout mitigation activities and resources in their universities.