The Prevalence of RD Burnout


During my clinical long term care rotation, dietitian burnout was a new topic that was brought to my attention.  My preceptor mentioned how tedious and tiresome it was to complete the large amount of required paperwork for each patient and how despite working long days, she was never able to get completely caught up on her list of required MDS assessments.  Burnout would be an essential topic for managers in the field of nutrition to understand because it could negatively impact not only the wellbeing of employees but also their overall productivity.  In an article published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers examined the prevalence of burnout among RDs.  They found that 57% of the dietitians in the study population were experiencing either moderate or high levels of burnout, and although this is a lower prevalence than has been demonstrated in other medical careers, it is clearly an issue of which administrators need to be aware in managing employees.  The researchers cited “the moderate levels of emotional exhaustion and only moderate levels of personal accomplishment” as major issues within the dietetics profession, and managers need to take steps to combat these issues and prevent burnout from occurring.

-Ashley

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