Abstract
Background: Significant progress has been made in understanding the factors associated with oncology physician associate (PA) burnout. Little is known about what PAs need to mitigate burnout, the availability of resources, and barriers to interventions. Methods and Materials: PAs completed a quantitative needs assessment to determine the importance of and their perceived skill levels in topics of self-care, clinical care, and professional development. Results: PAs were mostly female (90%), practicing in medical oncology (66%) and in the outpatient setting (66%). Topics most often identified to be of high importance were dealing with difficult patients (93%), dealing with difficult staff (89%), delivering bad news (88%), and coping with death/patient suffering and personal grief (86%). Burnout rates were higher for those with lower perceived skills in resiliency (p = .03) and dealing with difficult providers and staff (p = .03) but did not differ based on the importance of any other skill sets. Common barriers to employee assistance program (EAP) participation to enhance well-being were lack of time (58%) and concerns about confidentiality and stigma (26%). For PAs with concerns about stigma, resiliency scores were lower (6.4 vs. 7.0; p < .001) and burnout rates were higher (73% vs. 48%; p = .004). Conclusion: Perceived deficiencies in resiliency training and managing difficult work relationships correlate with higher rates of burnout in oncology PAs. Barriers to participation in EAPs, which may help address these deficits, are common and when present are associated with an alarming rate of burnout and lower resiliency.
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