| Affiliations: | College of Community Innovation and Education |
| Team Leader: |
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| Faculty Mentor: |
Jaeyoung Park, PhD
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Team Size:
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6 |
| Open Spots: | 6 |
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Team Member Qualifications:
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Team members should have strong interest in healthcare research, mental health, or employee well-being. Basic knowledge of data analysis, public health, or healthcare systems is helpful but not required. Students should be comfortable working with interpreting trends, and contributing to literature reviews. Good communication, teamwork, and attention to detail are important, since the project involves analyzing patterns of burnout and helping identify ways to improve staff wellness. Experience with Excel, SPSS, or similar software is a plus, but training will be provided. |
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Description:
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This project investigates the patterns and determinants of employee burnout within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) from 2018 to 2023. Burnout has become one of the most pressing issues in healthcare, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as healthcare professionals faced increased workloads, emotional strain, and rapidly changing work environments. The study uses six years of data from the VHA’s All Employee Survey (AES), one of the largest workforce well-being datasets in the nation, to analyze how occupation type, telework flexibility, and regional variations influence burnout levels among healthcare staff. The research explores how different professional groups—such as physicians, nurses, social workers, and administrative personnel—experienced and recovered from burnout across different phases of the pandemic. It also examines whether employees with part-time or full-time telework arrangements reported lower stress levels compared to those with no remote work options. Additional analysis includes demographic and geographic factors that may contribute to differences in burnout prevalence and recovery trajectories. By using validated burnout measures and comparing year-over-year trends, the study aims to provide insights into how workplace design, staffing adequacy, and workload balance impact employee well-being. The findings are expected to highlight actionable strategies for healthcare organizations to reduce burnout through flexible scheduling, improved staffing ratios, and supportive leadership practices. Ultimately, this project contributes to ongoing national discussions on healthcare workforce resilience, emphasizing how organizational and policy-level interventions can protect staff well-being and enhance the overall quality of patient care. |