BURNOUT IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL-THERAPISTS WORKING INHEAD-INJURY REHABILITATION

Objectives. Burnout has been linked to job retention in occupational t herapy, physical therapy, and other health professions. Professional d evelopment activities are often suggested to reduce burnout, but littl e empirical evidence supports this contention. This study explored the prevalence of burnout among occupational and physical therapists work ing in head injury rehabilitation and evaluated the relationship betwe en burnout and professional development activities. Method. Forty ther apists working full-time in head injury rehabilitation were surveyed. Correlations between subscale scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (i.e., Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplis hment) and responses to a survey of professional development activitie s are reported. Results. Professional development activities are most strongly associated with feelings of personal accomplishment. Emotiona l exhaustion was relatively high among these therapists, but few feeli ngs of depersonalization were evident. Conclusions. Professional devel opment activities in the workplace may augment feelings of personal ac complishment and minimize burnout as an issue in job retention. Strate gies to effectively identify and manage therapists' feelings of emotio nal exhaustion require further study.