Stine Ziegler1, Lea Krause-Solberg2, Martin Scherer2, Hendrik van den Bussche2. 1. Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Deutschland. sziegler@uke.de. 2. Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Deutschland.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This article addresses developments regarding working hours and working hour preferences of residents undergoing postgraduate training in Germany and analyses if, and for what reasons, full-time or part-time working models are preferred. METHODS: The source of data is the KarMed study, which is based on yearly postal surveys carried out among graduates of the year 2008/2009 from seven medical faculties in Germany. The interviews took place during the entire postgraduate training period. Response rates were 48% in the first year, with subsequent rates of above 85%. For analysis, descriptive statistics and regression models were applied. RESULTS: There is a considerable discrepancy between the actual and the preferred working hours of residents undergoing postgraduate training. Postgraduate training is mostly linked to full-time contracts, usually with additional overtime, even though a considerable proportion of doctors prefer a part-time position. More female residents want to work part-time than male doctors. The same applies for the period after medical specialism: in particular, female doctors with children, female doctors trained in former Western Germany states, and those seeking an occupation in outpatient care request part-time contracts for their professional future. A similar trend has been increasingly observed over the years for male doctors. CONCLUSION: Despite the huge number of residents requesting part-time contracts - during postgraduate training and afterward - the reality is still far behind this model. It is apparent that measures should be taken for both genders. Those measures should facilitate the implementation of the favored working-time model.
OBJECTIVES: This article addresses developments regarding working hours and working hour preferences of residents undergoing postgraduate training in Germany and analyses if, and for what reasons, full-time or part-time working models are preferred. METHODS: The source of data is the KarMed study, which is based on yearly postal surveys carried out among graduates of the year 2008/2009 from seven medical faculties in Germany. The interviews took place during the entire postgraduate training period. Response rates were 48% in the first year, with subsequent rates of above 85%. For analysis, descriptive statistics and regression models were applied. RESULTS: There is a considerable discrepancy between the actual and the preferred working hours of residents undergoing postgraduate training. Postgraduate training is mostly linked to full-time contracts, usually with additional overtime, even though a considerable proportion of doctors prefer a part-time position. More female residents want to work part-time than male doctors. The same applies for the period after medical specialism: in particular, female doctors with children, female doctors trained in former Western Germany states, and those seeking an occupation in outpatient care request part-time contracts for their professional future. A similar trend has been increasingly observed over the years for male doctors. CONCLUSION: Despite the huge number of residents requesting part-time contracts - during postgraduate training and afterward - the reality is still far behind this model. It is apparent that measures should be taken for both genders. Those measures should facilitate the implementation of the favored working-time model.
Entities:
Keywords:
Full-time; Gender issues; Part-time; Postgraduate training; Working hours