Correlation between Emotional Intelligence and Burnout amongst medical teachers of a public medical school in Lahore

Abstract

Introduction: Medical teachers in Pakistan are facing workplace stress leading to burnout, more so after the introduction of online teaching, since getting accustomed to the demands of online teaching is somewhat challenging. However, emotional intelligence may act as a buffer to being burned out. Objective: This study aims to investigate the association of demographic factors with emotional intelligence with burnout and Determine if there is a correlation between emotional intelligence and burnout amongst medical teachers of pre-clinical sciences in a public medical college. Method: A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among medical teachers of pre-clinical departments of a public medical school in Lahore. To a total of 30 participants, the following questionnaires were given to fill: Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire – Short Form to measure emotional intelligence, and the work-related version Burnout Assessment Tool to measure burnout levels. Results: In total, 60% were females and 40% were males. 30% of these participants took more than 40 online classes. A significant difference was seen in the burnout scores amongst different designations. Amongst the different designations, Assistant/Associate Professors had the highest mean burnout score. The correlation coefficient between emotional intelligence and burnout scores obtained was r = -0.578 (p-value 0.01).  Conclusion: Emotional Intelligence and Burnout Levels are negatively correlated. Developing opportunities to help teachers improve their emotional intelligence and help them manage burnout at the workplace may optimize their productivity. It is suggested that workshops and awareness seminars be arranged as part of Faculty Development Programs for this purpose.   KEYWORDS Emotional Intelligence, Burnout, medical teachers.