Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

• Develop an understanding of burnout and design a specific and detailed personal plan to avoid it.
• Understand the role that personal resilience plays in avoiding burnout.

Each student is required to submit a written personal plan for avoiding burnout.  The plan should include: 

• Identification of the stress experienced in each of the three major areas of negative stress.
• A personalized list of coping skills and antidotes to be used to avoid burnout.
• Apply learned skills through an outside project.

COMPETENCIES/SKILLS: 

• Develop a personalized list of effective coping and antidotes to be used during  negative stress.
• Identify and strengthen personal resilience characteristics.
• Develop specific tactics for stopping the progression of burnout.

CONCEPTS, THEMES & ISSUES:

General Concepts 

Understand the direct relationship between unattended negative stress and burnout.

Understand the different types and degrees of burnout.

Understand the relationship between resilience and burnout. 

Themes 

Negative stress is not avoidable but is controllable.
Burnout is completely avoidable when understood.
Highly resilient people do not burnout. 

Issues 

Burnout occurs when an individual has given up personal accountability for controlling internal negative stress.
External stress is not the cause of burnout.  How one deals with external and internal stress determines whether or not burnout occurs.