The Role of Personal Demands and Personal Resources in Enhancing Study Engagement and Preventing Study Burnout

Using a 1-year longitudinal design, we examined the role of personal demands and personal resources in long-term health impairment and motivational processes among master students. Based on the job demands-resources theory and transactional model of stress, we hypothesized that students' personal demands (i.e., irrational performance demands, awfulizing and irrational need for control) predict perceived study demands one year later, and indirectly relate to burnout. Furthermore, we predicted that personal resources indirectly associate with study engagement via students' perceived study resources one year later. These hypotheses were tested in a sample of Dutch master students ( N = 220 at T1 and T2) using structural equation modelling. As hypothesized, personal demands and personal resources at T1 predicted study demands and study resources one year later (T2, β = .25-.42, p <. 05), respectively. Study-home interference [study demand] mediated the association between personal demands and burnout (β = .08, p = .029), whereas opportunities for development [study resource] mediated the association between personal resources and study engagement (β = .08, p = .014). Hence, personal demands and personal resources relate indirectly to students' burnout and engagement one year later via a heightened level of specific study demands and study resources. Accordingly, the present research expands the propositions of the JD-R Theory by proposing personal demands as a relevant factor for students' long-term well-being

Work engagement in health professions education

Work engagement deserves more attention in health professions education because of its positive relations with personal well-being and performance at work. For health professions education, these outcomes have been studied on various levels. Consider engaged clinical teachers, who are seen as better clinical teachers; consider engaged residents, who report committing fewer medical errors than less engaged peers. Many topics in health professions education can benefit from explicitly including work engagement as an intended outcome such as faculty development programs, feedback provision and teacher recognition. In addition, interventions aimed at strengthening resources could provide teachers with a solid foundation for well-being and performance in all their work roles. Work engagement is conceptually linked to burnout. An important model that underlies both burnout and work engagement literature is the job demands-resources (JD-R) model. This model can be used to describe relationships between work characteristics, personal characteristics and well-being and performance at work. We explain how using this model helps identifying aspects of teaching that foster well-being and how it paves the way for interventions which aim to increase teacher's well-being and performanc

The Art of Staying Engaged : The Role of Personal Resources in the Mental Well-Being of Young Veterinary Professionals

Health care professionals perceive transitions (e.g., from university to professional practice) to be challenging and stressful. The aim of the present research was to identify person-related characteristics that, in addition to work-related aspects, affect the mental well-being and performance of recently graduated veterinary professionals, and to reach a greater understanding of the role of personal resources in mental health and well-being. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, a questionnaire measuring work engagement as well as burnout and its potential predictors was developed and distributed to 1,760 veterinarians who graduated in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2009 (response rate 41%, of which 73% were females). An intervention aiming at increasing personal resources was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. The intervention was designed so that participants could set their own learning objectives toward which they could work during a yearlong multimodular program. The results show that gender and the number of years after graduation have a small effect on exhaustion resulting in 16% of the veterinarians (18% for females) meeting the criteria for burnout in the first 5 years after graduation. Thirteen percent of respondents could be classified as being highly engaged. While burnout resulted mostly from job characteristics (demands and resources), work engagement resulted mostly from job resources and personal resources. Personal resources appear to have an important mediating and initiating role in work engagement and performance. Self-reported ratings of reflective behavior, proactive behavior, and self-efficacy were significantly increased after a yearlong resources development program. Practical implications are discussed

The Art of Staying Engaged: The Role of Personal Resources in the Mental Well-Being of Young Veterinary Professionals

Health care professionals perceive transitions (e.g., from university to professional practice) to be challenging and stressful. The aim of the present research was to identify person-related characteristics that, in addition to work-related aspects, affect the mental well-being and performance of recently graduated veterinary professionals, and to reach a greater understanding of the role of personal resources in mental health and well-being. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, a questionnaire measuring work engagement as well as burnout and its potential predictors was developed and distributed to 1,760 veterinarians who graduated in the Netherlands between 1999 and 2009 (response rate 41%, of which 73% were females). An intervention aiming at increasing personal resources was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. The intervention was designed so that participants could set their own learning objectives toward which they could work during a yearlong multimodular program. The results show that gender and the number of years after graduation have a small effect on exhaustion resulting in 16% of the veterinarians (18% for females) meeting the criteria for burnout in the first 5 years after graduation. Thirteen percent of respondents could be classified as being highly engaged. While burnout resulted mostly from job characteristics (demands and resources), work engagement resulted mostly from job resources and personal resources. Personal resources appear to have an important mediating and initiating role in work engagement and performance. Self-reported ratings of reflective behavior, proactive behavior, and self-efficacy were significantly increased after a yearlong resources development program. Practical implications are discussed

Predictive Value of Three Different Selection Methods for Admission of Motivated and Well-Performing Veterinary Medical Students

In search for valid and reliable selection methods that predict applicants' study motivation and academic performance during the 3-year bachelor's program at the Dutch Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM), this study aimed to (1) examine the predictive value of the three FVM selection methods for study motivation and academic performance (i.e., direct admission and weighted lottery based on secondary school grade point average [GPA], and selection based on non-cognitive criteria), and (2) examine whether type and level of study motivation could be of value regarding selection of well-performing students. Data from two cohorts at the FVM ( n = 186) were obtained, including mean summed scores on study motivation (using the Academic Motivation Scale [AMS] and additional items) and several academic outcome measures; among others, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to examine differences between the three admission groups. Spearman's correlations and linear regression were applied to examine the relationship between study motivation and academic performance. Lottery-admitted students demonstrated a stronger extrinsic motivation than selected students ( p < .05). Directly admitted students outperformed students from the other two admission groups on several academic outcome measures ( p < .05). Only the level of motivation was related to academic performance ( p < .05). According to the results, direct admission based on a high secondary school GPA in particular has predictive value for good academic performance during the 3-year bachelor's program of the veterinary course. The type of motivation seems to be of no value regarding selection of well-performing students, whereas level of motivation might be a useful criterion for this purpose

Predictive Value of Three Different Selection Methods for Admission of Motivated and Well-Performing Veterinary Medical Students

In search for valid and reliable selection methods that predict applicants' study motivation and academic performance during the 3-year bachelor's program at the Dutch Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM), this study aimed to (1) examine the predictive value of the three FVM selection methods for study motivation and academic performance (i.e., direct admission and weighted lottery based on secondary school grade point average [GPA], and selection based on non-cognitive criteria), and (2) examine whether type and level of study motivation could be of value regarding selection of well-performing students. Data from two cohorts at the FVM ( n = 186) were obtained, including mean summed scores on study motivation (using the Academic Motivation Scale [AMS] and additional items) and several academic outcome measures; among others, analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to examine differences between the three admission groups. Spearman's correlations and linear regression were applied to examine the relationship between study motivation and academic performance. Lottery-admitted students demonstrated a stronger extrinsic motivation than selected students ( p < .05). Directly admitted students outperformed students from the other two admission groups on several academic outcome measures ( p < .05). Only the level of motivation was related to academic performance ( p < .05). According to the results, direct admission based on a high secondary school GPA in particular has predictive value for good academic performance during the 3-year bachelor's program of the veterinary course. The type of motivation seems to be of no value regarding selection of well-performing students, whereas level of motivation might be a useful criterion for this purpose