Turnover among Australian general practitioners: a longitudinal gender analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Workforce Research
• General Practice
• Health Services Research

Background:

• General practitioner (GP) turnover is a concern for primary care stability.
• The feminization of the Australian GP workforce necessitates understanding gender-specific turnover factors.
• Projected GP shortages highlight the need for workforce retention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify correlates of turnover in the GP workforce, analyzing separately for women and men.
• To investigate the impact of part-time employment and child-rearing on GP turnover.
• To distinguish between planned and unplanned turnover and their respective drivers.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal analysis of the Medicine in Australia-Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey data.
• Inclusion of over 1900 women GPs and 2000 men GPs across eight waves.
• Application of random effects ordered logit and logit regressions to model turnover intentions and behavior.

Main Results:

• Part-time employment significantly correlates with turnover intentions and actual turnover for both genders.
• Women GPs exhibit higher rates of unplanned turnover compared to men, particularly those under 40 with young children.
• Despite intentions, young women GPs with children show higher unplanned turnover rates.

Conclusions:

• Targeted retention strategies are needed for women GPs, especially those who are young or have young children.
• Addressing factors contributing to unplanned turnover among women GPs is crucial for workforce stability.
• Reducing early career attrition of women GPs is essential to mitigate future workforce shortages.