Primary care workforce shortages and career recommendations from practicing clinicians

Area of Science:

• Health Workforce Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• The primary care workforce is essential for healthcare delivery.
• Recruitment and retention are key challenges in primary care.
• Clinician perceptions of their careers influence workforce stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare career satisfaction and recommendation willingness between primary care physicians (PCPs) and primary care nurse practitioners (PCNPs).
• To assess perceptions of primary care workforce shortages.
• To understand factors influencing career recommendations in primary care.

Main Methods:

• A national survey was mailed in 2012 to 1,914 randomly selected PCPs and PCNPs.
• Data were collected on career satisfaction, job satisfaction, and perceptions of workforce shortages.
• Response rate was 61.2% with 972 eligible clinicians returning the survey.

Main Results:

• Primary care nurse practitioners (PCNPs) were more likely to recommend their careers than primary care physicians (PCPs).
• This trend persisted even among PCNPs reporting low autonomy and PCPs satisfied with their careers.
• Clinicians perceived significant national and local shortages in the primary care physician workforce.

Conclusions:

• Addressing primary care physician (PCP) career dissatisfaction is vital for workforce solutions.
• Simply increasing training or reimbursement may not resolve shortages if PCPs do not recommend their careers.
• Future strategies must consider PCP career perceptions to effectively bolster the primary care workforce.