EMS Health & Wellness - Burnout (Part One)

Burnout is more than just feeling tired or stressed. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress — especially when that stress feels unmanageable or unrelenting.

The World Health Organization defines burnout as a syndrome stemming from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed. It has three main features:

• Exhaustion (feeling drained and depleted)
• Cynicism or detachment (mental distance from work or roles)
• Reduced performance or a sense of ineffectiveness (Maslach & Jackson, 1981; World Health Organization, 2019)

In healthcare settings, burnout can also feel like losing the passion or purpose that originally drew you to the profession.

What Causes Burnout?

Burnout often happens when there’s a mismatch between what’s being asked of you and what you realistically have the capacity to deliver (Weinberg & Gould, 2019).

Whether that’s time, emotional energy, physical stamina, or support, when your resources are constantly being outpaced by the demands, the result is chronic stress. Left unaddressed, that stress becomes burnout (Mental Health First Aid, 2015).

This model is supported by decades of research, including the widely recognized Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, which explains how high demands and low support/resources can wear people down (Demerouti et al., 2001).

Signs To Watch For

Common warning signs of burnout include:

• Feeling exhausted even after rest
• Becoming more irritable or emotionally numb
• Feeling like your work doesn’t matter anymore
• Struggling to concentrate or feel motivated
• Withdrawing from colleagues, family, or activities you used to enjoy

Conclusion

Burnout isn’t just “part of the job”, it’s a serious, well-documented occupational hazard with real consequences for healthcare workers, patients, and the healthcare system as a whole. 

Recognizing the signs early is the first step toward prevention and recovery. 

From emotional exhaustion to a loss of purpose, these symptoms are not a personal failing, they are a reflection of chronic, systemic strain.

In Part Two, we’ll explore why EMS providers and other frontline healthcare workers are particularly vulnerable to burnout. 

We’ll also highlight strategies to prevent, manage, and recover from burnout - both individually and as a team - so we can protect not only our own well-being, but also the quality of care we deliver every day.

Further Reading:

Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001) The Job Demands-Resources Model of Burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981) The Measurement of Experienced Burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001) Job Burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
Mental Health First Aid Staff (2015) Mental Health First Aid USA (1st Ed.). National Council for Behavioral Health.
Lanzi, R. G.(2025) Holistic Health: Bridging Disability and Mental Well Being Promotion Through Community Engagement. ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal, 29 (2): 48-55
Leiter, M. P., & Maslach, C. (2016) Understanding The Burnout Experience: Recent Research & Its Implications For Psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2019) Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (7th Ed.). Human Kinetics.
World Health Organization. (2019) Burnout, An “Occupational Phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/