Career perceptions of young academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons

To evaluate the perceptions and motivation of young full-time academic oral and maxillofacial surgeons who chose a career in academia and their experiences as faculty members.

An 11-item questionnaire was sent to the chairman of all nonmilitary American Dental Association-accredited oral and maxillofacial surgery training programs (total of 90 training programs), requesting that this questionnaire be completed by all full-time faculty who completed surgical residency between 1997 and 2003.

Forty-eight completed surveys were included in this study.

The primary motivation to pursue a career in academic oral and maxillofacial surgery was the opportunity to perform major maxillofacial surgery, closely followed by a desire to teach dental students and surgical residents. Most respondents noted that they had the opportunity to pursue a faculty practice, and most believed that they worked in a supportive environment. However, several noted that they did not have faculty practice opportunities, and most did not have protected time to carry out research, administrative, or other scholarly activities.