Burnout and Disengagement in Pathology A Prepandemic Survey of Pathologists and Laboratory Professionals

Context.-Despite widely prevalent burnout and attendant disengagement in medicine, the specific patterns and drivers within pathology and laboratory medicine are uncommonly studied. Objective.-To assess the prevalence and drivers of burnout among pathology and laboratory medicine professionals, retrospectively, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Design.-This was a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study engaging pathology and laboratory medicine professionals as subjects. Results.-Of 2363 respondents, 438 identified as pathologists, 111 as pathology assistants, and 911 as pathology and laboratory professionals. The burnout rate was 58.4% (1380 of 2363) across all respondents in pathology and laboratory medicine. Burnout varied by job role (P < .01) and was highest among pathology and laboratory professionals. Disparities in burnout rate were observed by race. Fifty-six percent (1323 of 2363) of respondents felt that they had at least 1 symptom of burnout and were advancing toward a breaking point. Underlying factors ranked highly among all groups included control over workload and loss of meaning in work. Conclusions.-Data provided from this cohort may help departments create successful strategies to reduce disengagement and burnout in the laboratory, especially during periods of increased stress as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, these data may serve as a baseline comparison for future studies.