Work- Life Balance Practices and Performance of Medical Interns in the Teaching and Referral Hospitals in Kenya
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The paper looks at the significance of work-life balance practices on the performance of the medical interns in the Teaching and Referral Hospitals in Kenya. Work-life balance is defined as an accomplishment of role-related expectations that are often negotiated and shared between an individual and his or her role-related partners in the work and family domains (Brough et al, 2020). The paper adopted simple random sampling technique to obtain a sample size of 50 medical interns from a population of 100 drawn from three selected Teaching and Referral Hospitals, namely Kenyatta National Hospital, Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. The paper further assesses how the Teaching and Referral Hospitals can foster a harmonious work-life equilibrium so as to enhance the performance of the medical interns aimed at fostering their employability. Additionally, the paper identifies appropriate Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs), such as job sharing, staggered shifts and short-term breaks and Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs, such as specialized and customized counseling services and timely stress management sensitization seminars and initiatives and weekly staff briefs. The key findings show that over 70% of the Medical Interns have complained of strict supervision and too demanding and often rigid work schedules that they are subjected to during their practice period and that 60% of the EAPs in place are not being implemented. At least 20% indicated that they have been subjected to some form of bullying, discrimination and isolation at their work stations. The paper therefore, recommends that the Teaching and Referral Hospitals initiate and adopt appropriate job sharing arrangements among the interns as well as introduce regular short term breaks for the interns to address other personal demands and interest such as marriage and raising up a family. And possibly going further to formulate and implement maternity and paternity leaves. Equally, there is need to regularize customized counseling services targeting the medical interns by the respective Hospital management in addition to revolutionizing skill-based training targeting medical interns. Based on this understanding the study concludes that the Medical Interns workplace needs a complete overhaul in order to establish and implement flexible work arrangements in addition to emphasizing on the actualization of the skill-based Employee Assistance Programs that are both friendly and employee centered.
Author: Wallace Nyakundi Atambo
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7204270329