Date of Conferral

9-2-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Ioan Ionas

Abstract

The problem that was addressed through this study is that U.S. nurses experience high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE) in their role as professional caregivers, adult learners, and educators. Grounded in Maslach's burnout theory, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore U.S. nurses’ perceptions of EE as professional caregivers, adult learners, and educators. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 nurses licensed in the United States who were working in direct patient care roles, across multiple specialties, and with various levels of experience and licensure. Through in vivo and pattern coding, the following findings emerged: All nurse participants reported that (1) they experienced EE throughout their nursing careers with variable degrees of severity and frequency and all roles- professional caregiver, adult learner, and educator- worsened EE; (2) EE contributes to pervasive and continuous negative personal and professional outcomes; and (3) they were never taught how to mitigate EE either in nursing school nor through professional development. The findings of this study might contribute to positive social change by emphasizing and advancing the need to educate and train nurses to identify and mitigate EE, which could improve the nurses’ experiences, the outcomes of the patients they care for, the organizations they work for, and the communities they live in.

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