Work meaning in medicine: a comparative investigation across training stages

Work orientations (i.e., the meaning individuals attribute to the purpose of their work) are established predictors of work-related wellbeing in the general population. This investigation examined an expanded model of work orientations (i.e., calling, job, career, social embeddedness, and busyness) in the medical profession. It compared physicians, residents, and clinical-year medical students across six indicators for work-related wellbeing: person-environment fit, work satisfaction, work engagement, burnout, turnover intentions, and commitment to the profession.

A cross-sectional survey was administered to 198 participants from Israel, including physicians, residents, and clinical-year medical students. Measures included a work orientations questionnaire, indicators of work-related wellbeing, and a demographic questionnaire. Group differences were examined using analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and Pearson correlations were computed to assess associations between work orientations and work-related wellbeing indicators.

Calling was the most strongly endorsed orientation across all groups. Medical students reported higher calling than residents, and higher career and social embeddedness than physicians. Calling was most consistently associated with work-related wellbeing across the stages of the medical profession, whereas the associations of social embeddedness and busyness with wellbeing were most notable among residents and students.

These findings underscore the developmental nature of the associations between work orientations and work-related wellbeing in medicine, offering implications for both theory and practice.