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ORCID (Optional)

Mickey Lebowitz https://orcid.org/ 0009-0003-4039-2635

Publication Date

5-27-2026

Abstract

Abstract

Background Burnout is prevalent among health care professionals and increasingly recognized among health professions students. Emotional intelligence (EQ) has been associated with reduced burnout among clinicians and learners, but data specific to physician assistant (PA) students remain limited. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of two overlapping cohorts of PA students from the entering classes of 2021-2023. Emotional intelligence was assessed using the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Inventory (SEI®). Burnout was assessed at the end of the first year using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Survey for Students and at the end of the second year using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel. Burnout profiles were derived using established critical boundary values. Associations between EQ, overall success, and burnout dimensions were examined using Spearman rank-order correlations. Nonparametric paired analyses were conducted for students with data at both time points. Results Second-year PA students were less likely to be burned out and more likely to be engaged than first-year students. EQ and success scores were both positively correlated with each other and with engagement in years one and two, and inversely correlated with burnout in year one. Additionally, students who transitioned between years one and two from not engaged to engaged or overextended to not overextended had increased EQ and success scores, and students who transitioned from burned out to not burned out had increased success scores. Conclusion Burnout and low engagement are prevalent among PA students at the end of their first, didactic, year though the prevalence appears to decrease by the end of the second, clinical, year. Emotional intelligence and perceived success are associated with lower burnout risk and higher engagement. These findings suggest that embedding EQ development into PA education may be a promising strategy to support student well-being and align with emerging wellness competencies. Further longitudinal and multi-institutional studies are warranted.

DOI

10.32873/unmc.dc.ihsej.0078

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Additional Files
2026-Lebowitz-IHSEJ-3-1-supp1.pdf (230 kB)
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