Dental faculty well-being amid COVID-19 in fall 2020: A multi-site measure of burnout, loneliness, and resilience

Dental hygiene clinical faculty attitudes and likelihood of working during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To identify circumstances that influenced dental hygiene clinical faculty's likelihood of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to explore attitudes (responsibilities, personal issues, ethics, and policy statements) about working.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a purposive sample of dental hygienists (n = 1710) employed in academic clinical settings that held full-time, part-time, or adjunct appointments. The Health Care Workers' Attitudes to Working During a Pandemic survey was utilized. Likelihood scores were calculated based on respondents more or less likely to work under differing circumstances. Frequencies of agreement for attitudes were developed. Correlations were explored between likelihood scores and demographic data. Answers to the open-ended questions were categorized and described.

RESULTS

The response rate was 13.5% (225/1710). Only one-third of respondents had a likelihood score of 100%. Factors with the greatest impact on likelihood to work were personal protective equipment. Almost all respondents' attitudes of working indicated that their employer is responsible for providing PPE. Over 90% felt their main responsibility was to themselves/family. Correlation analyses resulted in no significant associations between likelihood scores and age, etc. Faculty are considering leaving their jobs because of pay cuts and/or not feeling safe.

CONCLUSION

Likelihood of working for dental hygiene faculty represents several personal and ethical decisions. Most respondents want employers to be responsible for their on-the-job safety. In addition, personal and work-related issues were causes of unease. The pandemic has had far-reaching implications on day-to-day work of dental hygiene clinical faculty as well as on the long-term trajectories and views on employment in higher education.

Oral health educators' reflections on teaching 2022 and beyond

INTRODUCTION

The global pandemic prompted changes in health science education affecting both teaching and learning. This multi-institutional study assesses the near-term implications of these changes on faculty and faculty development. The project goals were to: (1) describe faculty experiences of teaching during the pandemic; (2) identify ways to sustain new pedagogical approaches, (3) describe the types of support faculty members need, and (4) offer recommendations to enhance oral health professions education.

METHODS

A mixed-method approach using exploratory sequential design was conducted in two phases collecting qualitative and quantitative data. Focus group participants included didactic, pre-clinical, and clinical faculty in dental school (DMD/DDS), dental hygiene and dental therapy programs, and also faculty members serving in administrative roles in these programs (N = 37). One hundred forty-four faculty participated in the multi-institutional follow-up survey.

RESULTS

Focus group and survey results led to 14 recommendations (nine structural and five individual) for oral health profession institutions and educators.

CONCLUSION

Oral health profession education faculty were dramatically impacted by the pandemic and new faculty development needs were identified. Traditional faculty development topics and practices may be no longer applicable in the post-COVID-19 environment. Additionally, the pandemic stimulated creative approaches for curriculum design, teaching, and assessment in oral health profession education. Strategies need to be implemented to sustain these innovations.

Assessing burnout among early career faculty in US dental schools

BACKGROUND

Burnout is a condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, low personal accomplishment, and feelings of depersonalization that may evolve as a result of chronic occupational stress. Our goal for the study was to measure the degree of burnout among US dental school faculty with less than 10 years in academia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A mixed method approach to data collection was utilized for the study and included: A. A 15-items demographics survey B. Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) combined with the Area-Work life Scale (AWS) C. A survey open-ended response to respondent's general feelings about work environment.

RESULTS

MBI results from the data collected from 52 respondents indicate 7 or 13.46% of respondents are categorized with a 'burnout' profile. The most abundant categories recognized among this group are feelings of being "overextended" (34.62%) while 32.69% of the respondents self-report signs of being engaged. The results from this population indicate higher emotional exhaustion while levels of depersonalization are lower. The Area-Work life Scale (AWS) for this group indicates a higher sense of reward and control, while a lower frequency of workload balance and fairness are recognized. The data collected from the sample population suggest increased higher feelings of burnout at the 9-year mark, with increased administrative duties, and age range over 44 years.

CONCLUSION

Identifying factors in workload, work environment, and influences in the home that lead to burnout early in a faculty member's tenure and introducing reduction mechanisms are key to enhancing faculty production, satisfaction, and retention.

Are we well? A post-pandemic snapshot of dental educator wellness, well-being, and fulfillment

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to oral care and dental education delivery. To date, the vast majority of studies focus on the impact COVID-19 had on the well-being and wellness of patients, practitioners, and students; however, limited literature addresses the pandemic's impact on dental educators.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to investigate the wellness, well-being, and fulfillment of dental educators in the years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Following Institutional Review Board approval, an anonymous electronic Qualtrics survey was emailed to full-time and adjunct faculty across five (5) dental education institutions in the US. Faculty self-reported on their wellness, general well-being, physical well-being, mental well-being, fulfillment, and work-life balance. Group differences were examined using analysis of variance and the Tukey-Kramer test for multiple comparisons at the p < 0.05 level.

RESULTS

The results revealed females and younger dental faculty members reported statistically significantly lower levels of wellness (F2, 123  = 11.16, p < 0.001, F3, 121  = 8.53, p < 0.001), physical (F2, 123  = 11.53, p < 0.001, F3, 121  = 5.54, p = 0.001) and mental well-being (F2, 123  = 12.49, p < 0.001, F3, 121  = 8.63, p < 0.001), fulfillment (F3, 121  = 5.01, p < 0.003), and higher levels of burnout (F2, 123  = 5.53, p = 0.005, F3, 121  = 4.85, p < 0.003). Those who expressed higher levels of burnout also had statistically lower mean well-being scores (F4, 119  = 10.54, p < 0.001). Females also reported a significantly lower work-life balance score compared to male respondents (F2, 121  = 10.37, p < 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Despite the social and environmental challenges faced over the last couple of years post-pandemic, dental educators demonstrate a quick ability to adapt, however, disproportional differences in gender and age groups were identified as being significantly correlated to dental educators' self-reports on wellness, well-being, and fulfillment. Insight into these variables can help inform strategies in the academic setting to help support and strengthen the academic workforce.

Reshaping dental faculty development using collective healthcare experiences

Dental academics provide a fulfilling career path to educate the next generation of oral health professionals. The number of dentists choosing a career in dental academics is declining and existing faculty are opting for other career options. As the number of dental schools increase across the US, a critical shortage of educators may be evidenced. In dentistry, innovative approaches to develop academic faculty are not keeping pace with the growing needs of dental faculty, who are challenged to establish a fulfilling work-life balance. This work reviews existing methods that other health professions implement to develop faculty for successful career growth. This review highlights factors and related cofactors that influence career development among dental faculty. Recommendations are presented as potential solutions based on the assessment of similar experiences published by related academic healthcare professions. Dental academia must increase attention to faculty needs and awareness by conducting institutional-specific studies to address these issues with customizable solutions.

Evaluation of organisational culture dimensions and their change due to the pandemic

The purpose of this research is to determine whether the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on the change of organisational culture in public high schools. Additionally, if there has been a change in organisational culture, to what extent does this change differ from the preferred type? Cameron and Quinn's OCAI questionnaire was used to determine the types of organisational culture. 453 valid responses were obtained from teachers of randomly selected public secondary schools in all regions of the Czech Republic. Pre-Covid-19, the present and preferred status were assessed. It was found that initially hierarchy culture was predominant, while currently preferences for adhocracy and market culture have increased significantly, although the hierarchy type still prevails. In the type of future, respondents will see the clan of organisational culture. The shift in each type, but also in each of its dimensions in the three periods studied, provides the researcher with a theme for deeper research into the context, and for school institutions and principals to develop strategies to support the creation of a healthy organisational culture.

A qualitative assessment of dental hygiene educators' COVID-19 related burnout

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to elicit ideas or concerns influencing dental hygiene educators’ experiences of personal and professional burnout, burnout working with students, and teaching efficacy in an online/hybrid environment as a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Methods

A qualitative, content‐analysis study included a convenience sample of dental hygiene educators emails. An invitation to participate in an August 2021 or October 2021 focus group was sent via Qualtrics^xm with informed consent, and focus groups were held over Zoom. Conversations were audio recorded, transcribed, and de‐identified. Consensus on a codebook by two coders achieved an 88% agreement.

Results

Fifty‐three were invited to the August 2021 focus groups for a 26% (n = 14) response rate, and 116 were invited to the October 2021 focus groups for an 11% (n = 13) response rate. Contributing factors to experiences of burnout expressed were: (1) work–life balance (n = 59), including (a) overwork, (b) pressure to be available, and (c) lack of boundaries; (2) change (n = 34) involving (a) developing new protocols, (b) constant uncertainty, (c) COVID‐19 requirements, and (d) new platforms; and (3) negative interactions (n = 32) with (a) students and (b) faculty.

Conclusion

A lack of work–life balance from overwork, pressure to be available at all times, no boundaries with students, and an absence of a sense of connection for workplace vitality were contributors to burnout. Work‐from‐home flexibility, a work environment that supported wellness and mental well‐being, and the ability to leave the workplace for periods of time were reported as helpful solutions to combatting burnout.