Job and life satisfaction among rural physicians. Results of a survey

Results of a survey of approximately half of Minnesota's rural physicians show that these physicians appear to be well-satisfied with their jobs (average rating of 2.5 on a five-point scale with 2 = very satisfied and 3 = moderately satisfied). In aggregate, areas of greatest job satisfaction are the diversity of patients physicians see, physicians' contact with others, and their ability to derive personal gratification from patient care. Salary/income was not a source of dissatisfaction. Areas of least satisfaction are physicians' opportunities for promotion, their ability to remain knowledgeable, and their role in making organizational and administrative decisions. Rural Minnesota physicians feel least work stress about their feelings of clinical competence/interpersonal relations at work and anxieties about the future. Areas of greatest stress focus on time pressures and realities of medical practice, i.e., being reimbursed by third-party payers and meeting the need for certainty when medical knowledge only allows for approximation. These physicians are reasonably happy with their lives in general (5.4 on a seven-point scale with 7 = delighted, 1 = terrible). In aggregate, areas of lowest life satisfaction are physicians' social relations, leisure activities, and finances. Examination of subgroups shows that women are statistically less satisfied with their living situations; younger physicians are less satisfied with their work, their living situations, and their leisure activities; physicians who spend more than 10 hours per week on administrative duties are less satisfied with their living and social situations; and physicians who see more than 100 patients per week are less satisfied with their social relations.