Measurement and correlates of physicians' lifelong learning

To examine the psychometric properties and correlates of an instrument to measure physicians' orientation toward lifelong learning with attention to differences between full-time and academic clinicians.

The authors mailed a survey in 2006 to a national sample of 5,349 alumni of Jefferson Medical College who graduated between 1975 and 2000; 3,195 (60%) responded. The respondents were classified as full-time clinicians (n = 1,127) and academic clinicians (n = 1,612). The other 456 respondents were involved in administration or research. The revised Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning (JeffSPLL) was included in the survey. Factor analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance were used to examine the construct- and criterion-related validities of the scale.

Factor analysis of the JeffSPLL items resulted in three factors designated as "learning beliefs and motivation," "attention to learning opportunities," and "skills in seeking information," which supported its construct validity. Alpha reliability coefficients were 0.85 and 0.86, and test-retest reliability coefficients were 0.72 and 0.77 for full-time clinicians and academic clinicians, respectively. For full-time clinicians and academic clinicians, scores on the JeffSPLL were significantly (P < .01) correlated with measures of learning motivation, professional accomplishments, career satisfaction, and commitment to lifelong learning, which supported the criterion-related validity of the scale.

The findings indicate that the JeffSPLL is a psychometrically sound instrument that measures physicians' orientation toward lifelong learning among full-time clinicians and academic clinicians. The instrument can be used to monitor educational programs, assess educational outcomes, and examine group differences.