Burnout--a feeling of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment--is a well-documented phenomenon among healthcare workers. Those on the front lines of healthcare often experience situations that require extensive emotional energy and resilience. Although the effects of burnout have been studied among physicians and nurses, very few studies have been done to document the impact of burnout on physician assistants. In 2018, an article sought to address this lack by reviewing the current literature regarding PA burnout and featured UPAP Division Chief Virginia Valentin, DrPH, PA-C as a contributing author. The article was published in the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) online journal.
Valentin and her colleagues were recently informed that the paper, titled "Burnout and Job and Career Satisfaction in the Physician Assistant Profession: A Review of the Literature," was the 8th most read article across the site in 2020. The article was featured with nine other articles in NAM's "#NAMTop10" campaign on social media, highlighting the most popular articles from their site. The paper's enduring quality demonstrates the importance of physician assistant job satisfaction, as well as the continued relevance of Valentin's research efforts.