PubMed · 12089567
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Karen Kreeger. 2002. International postdocs.. https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0702-751
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chief physicians play an important role for physicians' careers by providing advanced training and allocating time and research resources. This study examined which characteristics will help physicians to achieve a leadership position and how chief physicians conduct career promotion. SAMPLE AND METHODS: All 532 chief physicians in Switzerland's German speaking cantons with medical schools were approached with a questionnaire covering professional motivation and personal attributes of career-oriented physicians career-promoting personal and institutional factors, and type of career promotion. RESULTS: 207 chief physicians (189 men, 18 women; participation rate 38.9 %;) participated. Respondents rated achievement motivation combined with professional interest and job enjoyment (intrinsic), and interest in advancement and social prestige (extrinsic motivation) as beneficial. Extraprofessional concerns such as family obligations and leisure interests were viewed as less important. Instrumental attributes were rated as advantageous. Expressive qualities were also seen as beneficial but less crucial. Ratings were independent of respondents' age, specialty, or type of workplace. The following personal factors were named: professional commitment, professional and social competence, goal orientation, endurance, and strength of character. The institutional factors referred to quality of training and teaching, a good work atmosphere, a transparent and flexible clinic structure. Career promotion was offered predominantly in the form of coaching, career planning, and support in job search. CONCLUSION: Career promotion should be more targeted and structured, e. g. be conducted in mentoring programmes, thus providing the prerequisites for a truly equal career promotion of female and male physicians.
An ongoing debate exists among health care researchers about the mechanism that allocates physicians across medical specialties, and appropriate policy measures to correct imbalances that may arise from time to time. Most researchers believe that choice of residency program by medical school graduates is key to understanding how physicians are distributed across specialties, but there is much disagreement about whether economic or non-economic factors are most influential in determining this choice. We undertake an empirical investigation of two potentially important economic factors: income and leisure. To do so, we specify a two way error component regression model to estimate the effects of expected earnings and available leisure time, and uncertainty of earnings and leisure, on specialty choices of medical residents. Our findings indicate that economic factors are an important influence in the specialty choice process; in particular, medical residents are attracted to specialties that offer the prospect of longer and more certain annual vacations, higher earnings, shorter residency programs, and more certain work schedules. Our results suggest that employment contracts that provide generous annual vacation time and promise regular weekly work schedules may be more effective than increased earnings in correcting the current perceived shortage of primary care physicians.