ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Burnout is one of the many challenges physicians may face in their careers. While there are studies focusing on burnout among surgical specialties, there are limited studies focusing on burn out at different levels of training. The aim of this study is to measure and compare rates of burnout between junior and senior trainees in urological surgery as well as to identify changes in training that could be made to improve work-life balance. METHOD(S): To assess professional burnout, respondents completed the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey as part of the 2019 AUA census. Respondents were categorized into junior trainees (PGY1, PGY2, PGY3) and senior trainees (PGY4, PGY5, and fellow). RESULT(S): A total of 512 respondents were included. Senior trainees represented 57% while junior trainees represented 43% of the total cohort. The prevalence of burnout (p=0.005) and high levels of depersonalization (p=0.018) were 50% in junior trainees and 38% in senior trainees. High levels of emotional exhaustion were 9% for junior and 5% for senior trainees (p=0.053) (Table 1). The top changes to improve work life balance for urology trainees were access to meal plans, on-call rooms, and time to attend health appointments (Figure 1). CONCLUSION(S): Juniors experience higher levels of burnout, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion when compared to seniors. Providing meal plans, on-call quarters, and time to attend health appointments are the top changes to improve work-life balance among urology trainees. These changes may have a dramatic impact on the well-being of our trainees, especially in this post-COVID era. (Figure Presented).