Laurie A Pane1, Aisha B Davis, Mary C Ottolini. 1. Children's National Medical Center, Division of Hospital Medicine, 111 Michigan Ave NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA. lpane@childrensnational.org
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pediatric hospital medicine has become a viable long-term career choice. To retain qualified physicians, both academic and community hospital leaders seek to improve their job satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine whether practice in a community versus academic setting is associated with pediatric hospitalists' career satisfaction. METHODS: The study was based on data from an anonymous electronic cross-sectional survey sent to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine Listserv between November 2009 and January 2010. Questions were rated on a standard 5-point Likert scale. A total career satisfaction score was calculated for each respondent by summing across all 23 questions. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess job satisfaction according to practice setting. RESULTS: A total of 222 pediatric hospitalists responded. Sixty-six percent of respondents practiced in an academic setting and 34% in a community hospital. Fifty-eight percent of academic and 42% of community hospitalists were satisfied with their careers, defined as a mean per-question Likert score > or = 4. Adjusting for gender, average daily census, percentage of complex patients, years as a hospitalist, and years since residency graduation, academic hospitalists were more likely than community hospitalists to be satisfied with their careers (adjusted odds ratio: 2.43 [95% confidence interval: 1.25-4.72]; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric hospitalists practicing in academic settings seem more likely to be satisfied with their careers than those in a community hospital. Overall, however, there is room for improvement in career satisfaction for both groups. Further study is warranted to confirm and clarify these findings on a larger scale, perhaps with oversampling of community hospitalists.
BACKGROUND: Pediatric hospital medicine has become a viable long-term career choice. To retain qualified physicians, both academic and community hospital leaders seek to improve their job satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine whether practice in a community versus academic setting is associated with pediatric hospitalists' career satisfaction. METHODS: The study was based on data from an anonymous electronic cross-sectional survey sent to the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine Listserv between November 2009 and January 2010. Questions were rated on a standard 5-point Likert scale. A total career satisfaction score was calculated for each respondent by summing across all 23 questions. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess job satisfaction according to practice setting. RESULTS: A total of 222 pediatric hospitalists responded. Sixty-six percent of respondents practiced in an academic setting and 34% in a community hospital. Fifty-eight percent of academic and 42% of community hospitalists were satisfied with their careers, defined as a mean per-question Likert score > or = 4. Adjusting for gender, average daily census, percentage of complex patients, years as a hospitalist, and years since residency graduation, academic hospitalists were more likely than community hospitalists to be satisfied with their careers (adjusted odds ratio: 2.43 [95% confidence interval: 1.25-4.72]; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric hospitalists practicing in academic settings seem more likely to be satisfied with their careers than those in a community hospital. Overall, however, there is room for improvement in career satisfaction for both groups. Further study is warranted to confirm and clarify these findings on a larger scale, perhaps with oversampling of community hospitalists.
Authors: JoAnna K Leyenaar; Lisa A Capra; Emily R O'Brien; Laurel K Leslie; Thomas I Mackie Journal: Acad Pediatr Date: 2014 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 3.107