Burnout syndrome affects many nurses, even when there isn’t a pandemic. It is a concern of administrators and healthcare leaders alike. Numerous researchers continue to focus on understanding how and why burnout occurs and what contributes to it, such as sleep.

But when it comes to male nurse burnout, not much is known—until now. According to a Journal of Clinical Nursing study, male nurses have mild job burnout and find work resources in short supply.

Chinese researchers surveyed 366 male nurses about burnout and job demands. They found that burnout severity was affected by job demands. Moreover, Work resources such as social support, reward, and skill diversity were low. These work resources play a regulating role in job demands and burnout.

These findings are similar to the few studies that looked explicitly at male nurses and burnout, as well as studies that looked at other healthcare providers. The higher the job stress, the higher the likelihood of job burnout.

“The mild burnout may be a surface phenomenon or was a sign of a trend of male nurses’ intention to leave the job,” write the researchers. “Managers should pay attention to the emotional needs and mental health problems of male nurses’ work environment.”

The bottom line: Male nurses are like other healthcare practitioners. They can suffer from burnout, and the reasons are the same.