Key points:
While they find their work meaningful, most education professionals experience burnout higher than the national average, according to a study. recent study. In fact, more than 20 percent plan to switch to a related field and more than 30 percent are looking to change careers entirely.
soliantean educational and healthcare staffing company, released the report to help the industry better understand and address educator burnout, staffing challenges, and opportunities facing U.S. schools.
The survey is based on the knowledge and feelings of more than 400 education professionals. Respondents include teachers, special education teachers, school counselors, speech therapists, occupational therapists and more.
Among the key findings:
- Most education professionals feel they make meaningful contributions, but 68 percent struggle with burnout.
- More than half plan to make a career change, 22 percent plan to change to a related field, and more than 30 percent plan to change to a completely different career.
- Seventy-five percent of respondents believe their workload has been affected by staff shortages and 70 percent say the industry's workforce has not yet recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an open-ended response, survey participants provided more information about factors contributing to burnout and potential career changes. Respondents cited long work hours, mental health/stress, high caseloads, and being asked to do tasks outside of their duties.
As one respondent noted: “I feel that there are too many demands on educators today and the necessary support is lacking. The pandemic just pushed some things forward. “I think education has been going in the wrong direction for quite some time due to lack of support and increased workload.”
“In U.S. schools, workforce challenges are a widespread and long-standing problem that is taking a toll on education professionals,” said Lesley Slaughter, senior vice president at Soliant. “However, through a proactive and innovative approach to staffing, I am confident that we can keep these professionals in the roles in which they have reported satisfaction in their work.”
Based on respondents' input and Soliant's experience, these issues can be mitigated by addressing areas such as compensation and benefits, providing professionals with more supportive work environments, greater autonomy, and continuing education opportunities.
This press release originally appeared online.
![Laura Ascione](https://technicalterrence.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/An-alarming-number-of-educators-are-abandoning-ship.jpg)
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