(137) Effect of Burnout Associated With External Employment on Pharmacy Student Engagement

Objective : The effect of multiple factors on pharmacy students’ burnout and engagement have been studied, but the effect of external employment is notably absent. The objective of this study was to examine relationships between level of burnout from outside employment and engagement in pharmacy students.

Methods: Two surveys were distributed to enrolled P1-P3 pharmacy students in the Fall 2022 semester via Qualtrics during weeks 3-5 and weeks 12-15 of the semester. Surveys collected demographic data, burnout related to external employment, academic engagement, and confounding variables. The surveys utilized validated instruments to measure burnout and engagement, Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S). Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate burnout and engagement. Paired t-tests measured differences between OLBI and UWES-S scores from survey 1 to 2. Pearson correlation measured correlation between OLBI and UWES-S scores.

Results: Overall, 125 students completed survey 1 and 142 students completed survey 2 (response rate 41% and 47%, respectively). A total of 79 students completed both surveys. Of those, 65 were actively employed and completed the OLBI in both surveys. OLBI scores were 39.8±6.2 (survey 1) and 41.9±7.5 (survey 2), indicating a medium level of burnout with an increase later in the semester (p < 0.001). UWES-S scores were 4.3±0.8 (survey 1) and 4.0±0.9 (survey 2), indicating average engagement with a late semester decrease (p < 0.001). A moderate negative correlation was found between burnout (OLBI) and engagement (UWES-S) scores [r(223)=-0.44, p< 0.001].

Conclusions: Student level of burnout and academic engagement worsened over the course of the semester. Burnout from external employment correlates with decreased engagement in academic studies.