| Genetic counselors are specially trained professionals who provide patients with information about the genetic basis of medical disorders and their familial implications in a supportive and understanding environment. In a 2016 study, 42.4% of genetic counselors who counsel patients cited burnout as the reason they left or considered leaving the profession. Burnout is characterized by occupational stress causing exhaustion, disengagement, and decreased feelings of personal accomplishment. The purpose of the current study is to determine if there is a correlation between genetic counseling specialties and burnout, to determine if focusing on one specialty or having a varied practice is more likely to affect burnout, and recommendations practicing genetic counselors have for decreasing burnout in the profession. A survey was sent out through the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) listserv. Questions included The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), which measures disengagement and exhaustion to assess risk of burnout, demographic questions, including specialty of practice, and qualitative questions for greater understanding of significance. Chi-square analysis and t-tests were used in IBM SPSS to determine significance. The study found no statistically significant difference in scores for disengagement and exhaustion across the genetic counseling specialties or between genetic counselors who practice one specialty compared to those with more than one specialty. Themes for preventing burnout included increased recognition of genetic counseling skills and professional contributions, use of self-care, and improved work-life balance. This study has shown that a genetic counselor's specialty is not a factor for risk of burnout and practicing in one specialty versus more than one specialty does not influence burnout risk. Themes identified from the qualitative questions will be beneficial to identify possible actions to help lessen burnout in the profession. |
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