Author ORCID Identifier:

0000-0001-8273-3846

Date of Graduation

9-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods

Advisor/Mentor

Roessger, Kevin

Committee Member

Julie Galliart

Second Committee Member

Kit Kacirek

Keywords

Burnout; Grit; Medical Students

Abstract

Burnout is a significant issue among healthcare professionals. Burnout refers to the mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion that can develop throughout one’s career or studies. It can affect professionalism and patient care (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: National Academy of Medicine, 2019). Studies have shown that burnout begins early in an individual's medical education and can increase throughout their training (Voltmer et al., 2021). It has been suggested that students with a high level of Grit may exhibit some resistance to burnout (Jumat et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2022). This noncognitive trait measures a person’s ability to maintain passion and perseverance for long-term goals despite multiple setbacks and obstacles (Duckworth et al., 2007). Several studies have explored the relationship between Grit and burnout and academic success. Studies exploring the relationship between Grit and academic success (Olson et al., 2019; Alzerwi, 2020; Miller-Matero et al., 2018; Abd Elwahab et al., 2022; Welsh, 2020; Ursua et al., 2021; Fillmore, 2015) have shown mixed results, with some studies showing a positive relationship and others showing no relationship. However, the studies exploring the relationship between Grit and burnout (Cortez et al., 2019; Dam et al., 2019; Salles et al., 2014; Jumat et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2022) have shown a negative correlation between Grit and burnout. These inconsistencies in results for surrounding academic success, coupled with limited research on Grit specifically among osteopathic medical students, indicate a need for additional research. This study explored the relationship between Grit, burnout, and academic success in the Fundamentals of Anatomical Sciences I (FAS I) course in a southern osteopathic medical school. Two research questions guided the study: How is Grit associated with burnout in first-year osteopathic medical students after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and academic success in the FAS I course, and How is Grit associated with academic performance in osteopathic medical students after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and academic efficacy? Results from this study showed no relationship between Grit and academic success in FAS I. Grit was found to be negatively correlated with the development of cynicism and positively correlated with academic efficacy. However, these had a weak effect and accounted for a small percentage of the model's unique variation. This study reveals a relationship between Grit and the development of burnout, specifically cynicism and academic efficacy.

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