Enter your assignment draft separated by a line and then the complete assignment after all revisions at the bottom of the page. Include word count for each in parenthesis beside the title.

For example

Draft 1 (500 words)

Intro –   

The health workers, specifically in the United States, have been facing a mental health dilemma. It may not concern too many people, but it is an extremely important, widespread issue. How does exposure to patient trauma and death affect the mental well-being of medical professionals, and what role did burnout play in it? Although it is a highly relevant question, it is not one that is frequently asked or answered. This essay explores the importance of protecting the mental health of medical professionals and creating a supportive and healthy work environment for them, as well as addressing burnout, which is a workplace syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Trauma has been said to be a significant contributor to burnout, especially in the medical field.  

Body 1 – scholarly source  

Medical professionals may experience burnout, PTSD, and other mental health problems as a result of being exposed to patient trauma and death. In the academic journal ‘American Journal of Public Health,’ John Howard, MD, and Debra Houry, MD, MPH, noticed that “The COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2020–May 5, 2023) has been linked with increases in poor mental health outcomes in not only the general population but also among workers.” This shows that the mental health crisis has been ongoing for years and has not yet been prioritized. They also found that “Difficult working conditions… intense physical and emotional labor, exposure to human suffering and death, and risk of exposure to disease and violence” have been connected to the Covid-19 pandemic and have been promoting poor mental health outcomes for people working in the medical field. To give an example, the authors stated, “During the first year of the pandemic, across 65 studies involving 97 333 health workers, 22% reported moderate depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”   

In the study ‘American Journal of Public Health,’ it also talked about burnouts. They highlighted that “Both burnout and intent to leave were highest among nurses with rates of 56% and 41%, respectively. This loss of workforce has persisted over the course of the pandemic.” Due to the pandemic’s role as a major trigger for these problems, the CDC reportedly “developed the How Right Now campaign to promote and strengthen emotional well-being and resilience, largely in response to the mental health impacts of the pandemic.” These challenges included overwhelming workloads like shifts going from 12 to 16 hours long, poor workplaces, and emotional strain brought on by high mortality rates and fear of infection by their patients.  

Body 2 – scholarly source   

The academic paper “Work Environment and Health Care Workforce Well-Being: Mental Health and Burnout in Medically Underserved Communities Prone to Disaster,” by Tonya Cross Hansel, PhD, LMSW, Leia Y. Saltzman, PhD, LMSW, and Pamela A. Melton, DSW, LICSW, focuses on the symptoms and causes of burnout, which is also primarily brought on by the pandemic, even though the previous study discussed a number of health issues brought on by the pandemic.

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Draft 2 (600 words)

Inquiry-based Research Essay 

intro – The health workers, specifically in the United States, have been facing a mental health dilemma. It may not concern too many people, but it is an extremely important, widespread issue. How does exposure to patient trauma and death affect the mental well-being of medical professionals, and what role did burnout play in it? Although it is a highly relevant question, it is not one that is frequently asked or answered. This essay explores the importance of protecting the mental health of medical professionals and creating a supportive and healthy work environment for them, as well as addressing burnout, which is a workplace syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Trauma has been said to be a significant contributor to burnout, especially in the medical field. 

body 1 scholarly source – Medical professionals may experience burnout, PTSD, and other mental health problems as a result of being exposed to patient trauma and death. In the academic journal ‘American Journal of Public Health,’ Howard, MD etc, noticed that “The COVID-19 pandemic (March 11, 2020–May 5, 2023) has been linked with increases in poor mental health outcomes in not only the general population but also among workers.” This shows that the mental health crisis has been ongoing for years and has not yet been prioritized. They also found that “Difficult working conditions… intense physical and emotional labor, exposure to human suffering and death, and risk of exposure to disease and violence” have been connected to the Covid-19 pandemic and have been promoting poor mental health outcomes for people working in the medical field. To give an example, the authors stated, “During the first year of the pandemic, across 65 studies involving 97 333 health workers, 22% reported moderate depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”  

supporting- In the study ‘American Journal of Public Health,’ it also talked about burnouts. They highlighted that “Both burnout and intent to leave were highest among nurses with rates of 56% and 41%, respectively. This loss of workforce has persisted over the course of the pandemic.” Due to the pandemic’s role as a major trigger for these problems, the CDC reportedly “developed the How Right Now campaign to promote and strengthen emotional well-being and resilience, largely in response to the mental health impacts of the pandemic.” These challenges included overwhelming workloads like shifts going from 12 to 16 hours long, poor workplaces, and emotional strain brought on by high mortality rates and fear of infection by their patients. 

body 2 scholarly source – The academic paper “Work Environment and Health Care Workforce Well-Being: Mental Health and Burnout in Medically Underserved Communities Prone to Disaster,” by Tonya Cross Hansel etc, focuses on the symptoms and causes of burnout, which is also primarily brought on by the pandemic, even though the previous study discussed a number of health issues brought on by the pandemic. According to the study, over 60% of frontline health care workers reported symptoms of burnout, including emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. “In addition to the work environment… such as mental health and life stressors, play a reciprocal role in burnout.” Burnout can be caused by a variety of factors, for example, your workspace and long shifts. “The COVID-19 pandemic required health care providers and support staff to work longer hours in high-stress situations, increasing preexisting burnout.” 

body 3 popular media – Even before the pandemic, burnout among health care professionals was a growing concern due to factors like excessive administrative duties and understaffing. COVID-19 didn’t create burnout; it drastically worsened it. According to the research article ‘Impact of occupational death trauma on burnout among mental health professionals: the mediating role of secondary traumatic stress’ by Sun-Hee Park etc. “Among the diverse traumatic experiences encountered by MHPs, client death represents one of the most psychologically distressing events, often triggering acute emotional and professional disruption.”  Not many people realize how it can impact medical professionals, who frequently witness numerous deaths and traumatic events. Academic research has also revealed the differences in the degree of burnout based on job performance levels, and they discuss how “this burnout negatively affects professionals’ job performance.” Additionally, in this study they go over the surveys and studies done by MHPs. One study showed that “data were collected from a total of 224 MHPs… The original questionnaire developed by Matzke was translated into Korean and employed to measure the frequency of occupational death trauma.”  Furthermore, the findings indicate that “this research highlights the psychological and emotional challenges faced by MHPs by investigating the mediating effect in the context of occupational death trauma and burnout.”  

body 4 opposing view – Oncology studies have shown that some clinicians develop greater emotional recovery and job satisfaction when they can frame patient loss in terms of purpose and empathy Rather than being harmful, repeated exposure to patient suffering can help a professional’s sense of identity and moral clarity, especially when accompanied by a supportive workplace culture, coping mechanisms, and opportunities for reflection. While this viewpoint makes a lot of sense, though it does not mean you should disregard the mental and physical health of medical healthcare workers who do not have those benefits. 

body 5 popular media – The article ‘Psychological status of healthcare workers in the post-COVID-19 period in China: a retrospective multicentric cross-sectional study,’ by Xiaoli Wang, Fang Fu, etc. examines the mental health of healthcare workers in the aftermath of the pandemic. The study examines various mental challenges identified in professional studies. According to the study, “the prevalence of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and PTSD in the HCWs after the COVID-19 pandemic” was studied, and their “study reported prevalence rates of 45.0% for anxiety, 59.4% for depression, 40.5% for insomnia, and 10.5% for PTSD.” Covid-19 has taken a huge toll on our healthcare workforce, shifting a lot of their lives and mental states.  

conclusion – In closing, the answer to the question “How does exposure to patient trauma and death affect the mental well-being of medical professionals, and what role did burnout play in it?” is that exposure to patient trauma and death deeply impacts the mental health of medical professionals by increasing risks for many mental problems like depression. Burnout plays a special role in both resulting from and contributing to the emotional toll of this trauma. Without proper support, coping resources, and systemic change, these effects can lead to long-term psychological harm and workforce abandonment. 

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Supporting documents like research notes, brainstorms, etc. (images are welcome)

file:///Users/kailyn/Downloads/fpsyt-16-1520361.pdf 

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1543681/full

file:///Users/kailyn/Downloads/EBSCO-FullText-10_17_2025.pdf 

file:///Users/kailyn/Downloads/EBSCO-FullText-10_12_2025.pdf 

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Complete assignment (750 words)

Kailyn Derry  

10/12 

Prof. McD 

Eng 110 

Inquiry-based Research Essay 

The health workers, specifically in the United States, have been facing a mental health dilemma. It may not concern too many people, but it is an extremely important and widespread issue. Exposure to patient trauma and death affects the mental well-being of medical professionals by placing constant emotional pressure on them, and burnout plays a major role in worsening that impact. Although this question is highly relevant, it is not one that is frequently asked or answered. This essay explores the importance of protecting the mental health of medical professionals, creating a supportive and healthy work environment for them, and addressing burnout, which is a workplace syndrome characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Trauma has been said to be a significant contributor to burnout, especially in the medical field.

Medical professionals may experience burnout, PTSD, and other mental health problems because of exposure to patient trauma and death. In the American Journal of Public Health, Howard et al. noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic was linked with increases in poor mental health outcomes “among workers” (Howard et al. 939). This shows that the mental health crisis has been ongoing for years and still has not been fully prioritized. They also found that difficult working conditions, including “intense physical and emotional labor” and exposure to suffering and death, were connected to higher stress levels during the pandemic (Howard et al. 939). For example, during the first year of the pandemic, “22% reported moderate depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Howard et al. 939). This highlights how trauma became a daily part of healthcare work.

These statistics support a larger idea: when medical workers face trauma repeatedly, it builds up over time. They do not get the time or resources to recover between experiences, which means each new traumatic event adds to the emotional strain. That pressure eventually becomes overwhelming, especially when combined with long hours and lack of workplace support.

The same study also addressed burnout. It highlighted that burnout and the intent to leave the field were highest among nurses, with rates of 56% and 41% (Howard et al. 941). This is important because nurses often spend the most time directly with patients and therefore experience more emotional moments. Due to the pandemic’s role as a major trigger for these problems, the CDC developed the How Right Now campaign to strengthen emotional well-being and resilience (Howard et al. 941). These challenges included overwhelming workloads like 12- to 16-hour shifts, unhealthy workplace environments, and emotional strain brought on by high mortality rates and fear of infection. In my view, this shows that burnout is not just about exhaustion. It is also about the emotional cost of caring for people who are suffering or dying, especially when workers do not feel supported or protected.

The academic paper Work Environment and Health Care Workforce Well-Being by Tonya Cross Hansel et al. focuses on the symptoms and causes of burnout. According to the study, over 60% of frontline workers reported burnout symptoms such as emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (Hansel et al. 764). This means that more than half of the frontline healthcare workforce felt emotionally disconnected or drained during the pandemic. The authors also explain that the work environment, along with workers’ own life stressors, “play a reciprocal role in burnout” (Hansel et al. 765). In other words, burnout is not caused by one single factor. It comes from both workplace pressures and personal factors adding up. Long shifts, limited breaks, and constant responsibility for patients’ lives make burnout almost unavoidable.

This connects back to the overall question because burnout does not just happen randomly; it happens when medical workers cannot fully process the trauma they witness. Trauma adds emotional strain, and burnout makes coping with that strain even harder, creating a cycle that affects mental health more deeply.

Even before the pandemic, burnout among health care professionals was a growing concern because of excessive administrative duties and understaffing. COVID-19 didn’t create burnout; it drastically worsened it. According to Sun-Hee Park et al., “client death” is one of the most distressing experiences for mental health professionals (Park et al. 2). Many people do not realize how witnessing multiple deaths affects medical professionals, who often have to continue working without any time to cope. Park’s study also showed that trauma from patient death influences levels of burnout and impacts job performance (Park et al. 6). This demonstrates how trauma and burnout are connected: trauma causes emotional strain, and burnout makes it harder to recover from that strain.

Oncology studies have shown that some clinicians do develop emotional strength and purpose when they frame patient loss through empathy and meaning. While this perspective makes sense, it does not mean the mental and physical health of workers who lack supportive workplaces should be overlooked. Not every clinician has a strong support system, and without one, trauma becomes more damaging.

The article Psychological Status of Healthcare Workers in the Post-COVID-19 Period in China by Xiaoli Wang et al. examines mental health after the pandemic. Their study found prevalence rates of 45% for anxiety, 59.4% for depression, and 10.5% for PTSD among healthcare workers (Wang et al. 4). These numbers show that even after the crisis slowed down, the emotional effects did not disappear. Trauma can have long-lasting effects, and burnout can make recovery even slower.

In closing, exposure to patient trauma and death deeply impacts the mental well-being of medical professionals by increasing their risks for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Burnout plays a special role because it both results from trauma and intensifies the emotional toll of that trauma. Without proper support, coping resources, and systemic change, these effects can lead to long-term psychological harm and contribute to workforce shortages. Supporting the mental health of medical professionals is essential not only for their well-being but for the future of healthcare itself.

refrences –

Hansel, Tonya Cross, et al. “Work Environment and Health Care Workforce Well-Being: Mental Health and Burnout in Medically Underserved Communities Prone to Disaster.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 112, no. S2, 2022, pp. S763–S771.

Howard, J., et al. “Mental Health Status of Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 113, no. 7, 2023, pp. 939–942.

Park, Sun-Hee, et al. “Impact of Occupational Death Trauma on Burnout among Mental Health Professionals.” Psychology Research and Behavior Management, vol. 16, 2023, pp. 1–10.

Wang, Xiaoli, et al. “Psychological Status of Healthcare Workers in the Post-COVID-19 Period in China.” BMC Psychiatry, vol. 23, 2023, pp. 1–10.