- Title
- The assessment of occupational burnout in Australian nuclear medicine technologists
- Creator
- Shields, Melissa
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- BACKGROUND: Nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) working in Australia have a wide scope of roles and responsibilities, including varied complex technical tasks. They also need to possess excellent communication and patient care skills. METHODS: The research design was a sequential explanatory mixed method, which included four separate phases. Phase One was a literature review of workplace stress, occupational burnout and the measurement tools used to evaluate occupational burnout. Phase One also included a systematic review evaluating the prevalence of occupational burnout in the disciplines of medical radiation science (MRS). This phase informed the selection of the occupational burnout measurement tool, and other aspects of the survey used in Phase Four. Phase Two and Three consisted of interpretative phenomenological qualitative studies, utilising semi-structured interviews of five NMTs working in either a metropolitan or regional area of New South Wales to explore positive and negative interpretations of their experiences in their workplace/career and work-life balance. Protocols of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) were used to analyse the data from the interviews. Phase Four was an online cross-sectional survey open to nuclear medicine technologists currently practicing in Australia and New Zealand. The survey was divided into four sections; demographics, Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), factors contributing to workplace stress and occupational burnout, and methods used to alleviate workplace stress and occupational burnout. RESULTS: Phase One: The literature review revealed a severe lack of research into occupational burnout in NMTs worldwide, with no research performed on NMTs working in Australia. Hence the systematic review examined the prevalence of occupational burnout in all MRS disciplines. This systematic review revealed that the majority of MRS professions reported moderate levels of burnout. However, the variations in workplace activities, as well as the different occupational burnout measurement tools used, made it methodologically inaccurate to directly compare the results between each of the MRS disciplines. Phase Two: The participants in this study expressed a lack of positivity about their own individual experiences within their career and its trajectory, feeling disrespected and marginalised due to unforgiving workloads and workplace demands. There was an increased risk of occupational burnout in the participants due to workplace bullying, understaffing, and a lack of career options. However, maturity and personal growth improved their ability to cope with occupational stressors and adjust professional expectations and prioritise personal needs. Phase Three: This study highlighted how participants needed to balance the complex needs and demands of patients, and organisational expectations. Living in a regional city limited the career options of participants, however it also let them focus on selfcare and their work/life balance, mitigating the risk of occupational burnout. Phase Four: Results of the ProQOL indicated that there were 77% of participants within the moderate level of occupational burnout and 23% within the low level of occupational burnout. There were little statistical differences between selected participant subgroups. The main factors contributing to workplace stress and occupational burnout were low staffing rates and increased workload. CONCLUSION: This thesis highlighted the severe lack of research into the wellbeing of NMTs within Australia and in fact worldwide. Concerns about occupational burnout were initially expressed by participants in the interpretative phenomenological qualitative studies, which were consequently supported by the results of the survey study, finding the majority of participants within the moderate level of occupational burnout. The level of occupational burnout in NMTs working in Australia reported in this thesis is concerning. Especially as there is a recognised workforce shortage of NMTs in Australia and a common consequence of occupational burnout is staff turnover. Therefore, occupational burnout in NMTs working in Australia needs to be addressed by the wider nuclear medicine community.
- Subject
- occupational burnout; nuclear medicine technologists; work-life balance; Australia; thesis by publication
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1516933
- Identifier
- uon:57050
- Rights
- Copyright 2024 Melissa Shields
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 3 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 375 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |