EDUCATION Can mentors prevent and reduce burnout in new chairs of departments of obstetrics and gynecology: results from a prospective, randomized pilot study Steven G. Gabbe, MD; Lynn E. Webb, PhD; Donald E. Moore, Jr, PhD; Lynn S. Mandel, PhD; Jennifer L. Melville, MD, MPH; W. Anderson Spickard Jr, MD OBJECTIVE: This study assessed burnout in new chairs of obstetrics and gynecology and whether mentoring by experienced chairs would prevent or reduce burnout. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a year-long prospective, randomized trial. Questionnaires were sent to new chairs to obtain demographic information and to identify need for mentoring and level of burnout. Fourteen chairs in the intervention group selected a mentor; 13 chairs served as controls. After 1 year, questionnaires were completed to de- termine stress and burnout and the impact of mentoring. RESULTS: Financial issues were the major stressors. New chairs identified human resources, finances, and relationships with school leaders as areas of greatest need for mentoring. Few chairs exhib- ited burnout. No differences were observed in burnout at the start of the study or after 1 year in the study groups. Mentors and new chairs found the mentoring relationship difficult to establish and maintain. CONCLUSION: Long-distance mentoring by experienced chairs did not alter burnout in new chairs of obstetrics and gynecology. Local men- tors appear to be more effective. Key words: burnout, mentoring, new chairs, obstetrics and gynecology Cite this article as: Gabbe SG, Webb LE, Moore Jr DE, et al. Can mentors prevent and reduce burnout in new chairs of departments of obstetrics and gynecology: Results from a prospective, randomized pilot study. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;198:653.e1-653.e7. T he responsibilities of department chairs in academic medical centers have expanded dramatically and become more challenging in recent years. 1 In 2002, Gabbe et al 2 reported the results of the first study to examine the likelihood of burnout resulting from these expanded responsibilities in chairs of academic departments of ob- stetrics and gynecology. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaus- tion, depersonalization, or cynicism in relationships with coworkers or pa- tients, and a sense of inadequacy or re- duced personal accomplishment. 3 Burnout occurs in the setting of a highly demanding job with limited au- tonomy as well as a lack of support, mentoring, or constructive assessment of performance. Burnout is also asso- ciated with poor physical health, in- cluding headaches, sleep disturbances, hypertension, digestive problems, fa- tigue, marital difficulties, depression, anxiety, anger, and myocardial infarc- tion. 2,3 Not only does burnout affect physical health and mental well-being, it reduces productivity and effective- ness. 4 Burnout is observed frequently in health care providers, including both physicians and nurses. 5 Gabbe et al 2 reported that burnout and high emotional exhaustion were more common in new chairs, those who had served less than 5 years, who worked nearly 70 hours each week, and who had less spouse/partner support. They spec- ulated that workplace factors contribut- ing to burnout are exacerbated by the isolation of new chairs, their reluctance to expose their lack of knowledge about their new responsibilities, 6 and their frustration in failing to meet their own unrealistic expectations. They recom- mended that not only should programs be created to help chairs who are having burnout, but that efforts should be made to prevent burnout in new chairs. Pololi and Knight 7 suggested that effective mentoring may play an important role in reducing burnout and increasing physi- cian retention. For these reasons, we hy- pothesized that a mentoring program should help new chairs address the stress associated with their new roles. A mentoring relationship is a deliber- ate pairing of a more skilled or experi- enced individual, with a less skilled or ex- From the Office of the Dean (Drs Gabbe and Webb), the Division of Continuing Medical Education (Dr Moore), and the Department of Medicine (Dr Spickard), Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN; and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA (Drs Mandel and Melville). Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Orlando, FL, March 2-5, 2006. Received June 19, 2007; revised Aug. 30, 2007; accepted Nov. 1, 2007. Reprints not available from the authors. This study was supported by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO)/Wyeth-Ayerst Career Achievement Award and the APGO Medical Education Foundation in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 0002-9378/$34.00 © 2008 Published by Mosby, Inc. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.11.004 Research www. AJOG.org JUNE 2008 American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 653.e1