Related Experiment Videos
Physician job satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and turnover.
Donald E Pathman1, Thomas R Konrad, Eric S Williams
1Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7590, USA. don_pathman@unc.edu
The Journal of Family Practice
|August 6, 2002
Summary
Physician job dissatisfaction, especially with pay and community relations, strongly predicts plans to leave practice. Focusing on avoiding dissatisfaction is key for physician retention, not necessarily maximizing satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Medical workforce research
- Physician behavior studies
- Healthcare management
Background:
- Physician retention is a critical issue in healthcare systems.
- Understanding factors influencing physicians' decisions to leave practice is essential for workforce stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between satisfaction/dissatisfaction with specific work aspects and physicians' intentions to leave their jobs.
- To identify key areas of work that influence physician retention.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional mail survey of 1939 practicing generalists and specialists in the United States.
- Logistic regression analysis to compare likelihood of leaving among physicians in different satisfaction quartiles for 10 work aspects.
- Stratified analyses by physician specialty and age groups.
Main Results:
- Twenty-seven percent of physicians planned to leave their practice within two years.
- Dissatisfaction with pay and community relationships significantly predicted plans to leave across most physician groups.
- Physician age influenced satisfaction levels, with older physicians generally reporting higher satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- Avoiding physician dissatisfaction, particularly concerning pay and community relationships, is crucial for promoting physician retention.
- High levels of satisfaction in other areas do not appear to significantly enhance retention.
- Targeted interventions to address specific dissatisfaction points are recommended for healthcare employers.