Associations Between Supervisory Alliance, Medical Resident Distress, Burnout, and Self-Esteem.

Introduction: Supervision is considered a collaboration between a supervisor and supervisee and includes perceptiveness, responsiveness of the supervisor, a state of rapport, and specific learning tasks that allow the individual to work towards a goal. The alliance in supervision has been identified as a key ingredient of effective supervision, regardless of the type of treatment, population, or supervision model being used. While it is known that the medical training environment hosts high rates of burnout, little research has examined the role of supervisory alliance in regard to burnout, distress, and self-esteem. This study aimed to apply previous models of supervisory alliance to medical education, and explore associations between educational alliance and trainee self-esteem, burnout, and distress.

Methods: Participants included 108 medical trainees (response rate = 81%). Medical trainees were recruited from a rural Pennsylvanian teaching hospital and asked to complete a voluntary and anonymous electronic survey. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between supervisory alliance and burnout and distress, while controlling for average hours worked and slept.

Results: Results suggested that supervisory alliance was associated with burnout, distress, and self-esteem among medical trainees.

Conclusion: Given the high rates of depression and burnout among medical providers, it may be helpful to understand the factors that may impact medical trainee's distress and esteem. Future longitudinal research might examine the role of the supervisory alliance over time, and whether strong mentorship and guidance may serve to protect trainees from burnout throughout training and into their career.