Using Boundary Management to Decrease Burnout in Nursing Faculty

Abstract

Aim

The purpose of this study is to examine if the use of boundary management by nursing faculty decreases feelings of burnout, leading to increased retention of nursing faculty.

Background

Because of the many stressors present in the role of nursing faculty members, nursing faculty members have left or are considering leaving the profession. The inability to educate qualified applicants due to a lack of qualified faculty contributes to the nursing shortage throughout the United States. Boundary management is a technique that has been used in other fields with success to decrease burnout.

Design

This study uses a quasi-experimental pretest and post-test design.

Method

This study consisted of 24 nursing faculty. The faculty took the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) to determine baseline levels of burnout. Nursing faculty members implemented boundary management interventions for 6 weeks, then retook the CBI postintervention to reassess their burnout.

Results

There was a statistically significant improvement in average burnout in the participants of this project (p=<0.001). Out of the 17 questions in the survey, 6 were statistically significant for improvement related to the content of the question.

Conclusion

The use of boundary management offers a method to decrease burnout. Leadership should aim to create a culture that supports the use of work-life boundaries to decrease burnout related to work-life imbalance.