Organizational Factors Affecting Burnout in Veterinary Nurses: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT: Situated within an important nexus for many human–animalrelationships is the profession of veterinary nursing, a profession inwhich burnout is an increasing problem, affecting wellbeing andretention and, consequently, animal welfare. Self-care strategies canreduce  the  effects of burnout in the short term. However,organizational interventions are required to achieve long termchange. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnoutin veterinary nurses and identify organizational risk factors, inaccordance with the Areas of Worklife model, that must beaddressed to reduce burnout in this population. Seven databasesand Google Scholar were searched using terms related to“burnout”and“veterinary nurses.”Primary empirical studies published inEnglish that examined organizational factors related to burnout inveterinary nurses were eligible for inclusion. Article screening andselection was completed by two reviewers and quality assessmentwas carried out using two validated quality assessment tools.Twelve articles were identified: nine cross-sectional surveys andthree mixed-methods studies. Available data were insufficient toaccurately determine burnout prevalence, but it appears thatveterinary nurses are at moderate to high risk of developingburnout. Organizational risk factors for burnout in veterinary nurseswere identified in all six Areas of Worklife domains (Workload,Control, Reward, Community, Fairness, and Values). Common riskfactors  include  high  workload,  low  control  and  autonomy,underutilization, low remuneration, co-worker incivility, inequitabletreatment,  poor  work–life  balance,  and  exposure  to  animalsuffering,  euthanasia,  and  death.  Recommended  managementstrategies include increased opportunities for skill utilization anddevelopment,  workload  and  task  adjustments,  and  increasedschedule control. However, the extent to which these strategies areeffective in individuals and practicable for organizations remainspoorly understood. Future research should address how these riskfactors impact individuals and organizations to better informorganizational intervention strategies