Die Berufsverlaufszufriedenheit von Assistenzärzten und -ärztinnen nach vierjähriger Weiterbildung

[Onboarding in intensive care and emergency medicine in Germany]

BACKGROUND

The treatment of acute life-threatening conditions in intensive care and emergency medicine requires in-depth training and education, with initial training playing a key role.

RESEARCH QUESTION

What is the structure and quality of the initial training of physicians and nurses in intensive care units and emergency departments in Germany?

METHODS

With the help of survey software, an online questionnaire comprising 40 questions in German on the aforementioned topic was designed. It was distributed via the website of the German Society for Internal Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DGIIN) and via pertinent social media channels.

RESULTS

In total, 103 nurses and 125 physicians participated in the survey. The average work experience of the participating nurses and physicians was 8.5 ± 5.1 and 3.0 ± 3.1 years, respectively. The majority of participants worked primarily in intensive care units (59%) or in emergency departments (22%). On average, the initial training lasted 45 ± 27 and 13 ± 13 days for nurses and physicians, respectively. Only 20% of the initial training comprised seminars or hands-on workshops taught outside of routine clinical care. In all, 47% of the participants stated that they were not able to complete the entire initial training period. Only 49% had been officially certified for usage of the technical equipment in their department. A total of 35% reported feeling confident or somewhat confident in handling predictable tasks after initial training, but only 15% in handling acute emergencies.

DISCUSSION

The present study revealed that initial training in intensive care and emergency medicine is frequently incomplete, unstructured, as well as inadequate and bears both safety and liability risks. New concepts are needed to improve the initial training across clinics.

[Actual Duration of Postgraduate Training of Medical Residents in Germany: Results of the KarMed Study Ten Years After Physician Licensure]

BACKGROUND

Professional qualification as a doctor of medicine includes completion of medical studies and residency. Data on the real duration of residency are currently not assessed systematically in Germany.

OBJECTIVES

Our study aimed to analyze data on the real length of residency under consideration of area of expertise (specialization), part-time working, grades after school and medical studies, gender, and parenthood of the physicians in residency.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The KarMed Study's database consists of annual postal surveys throughout the entire residency of medical students, beginning with their "Practical Year" in 2008/2009 until 2019. The study analyzed data six and ten years within this residency period.

RESULTS

The majority of the residents was capable of finishing their residency within the minimal time. One significant effect on actual duration of residency was the subject choice. One-third of the female residents had not yet finished their residency after ten years. Partenhood had a significant effect on female residents, but not on male residents. A regression analysis showed (R²corr=0.03, p<0.001) that the duration of residency was associated with the grade received after studying (β=0.30). Male residents were more satisfied with the overall residency then female residents.

DISCUSSION

Structural improvement in postgraduate training needs to be adjusted in terms of parental status. Prospective studies should take the selection process of universities into account and examine its association with the time required to complete residency.

Career satisfaction of German human genetics residents

Objectives

The aim of this survey was to investigate the career satisfaction of human genetics residents in Germany and to analyse the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Methods

We developed an online survey for the evaluation of a broad range of factors concerning the situation of human genetics residents in Germany using validated questionnaires and adding human genetics specific items to them. Human genetics residents working at institutions with an authorization for specialist training were asked to participate in the online survey. To analyse the situation of specialist training in human genetics and the influence of multiple factors on career satisfaction, descriptive statistics, mean descriptive statistics and comparisons of mean values as well as multiple linear regression analyses were carried out.

Results

Of the 71 institutions contacted, 41 (58 %) provided feedback and reported the number of 114 residents in human genetics. In total, 58 residents completed the questionnaire (50.9 %). Overall career satisfaction was high with a mean score of 30.8 (scale ranging from 8-40). Factors significantly influencing career satisfaction were general life satisfaction, occupational self-efficacy expectations and content with the doctors entitled to the specialty training. Except for the reduced perception to achieve their professional goals expressed by women with children, career satisfaction was influenced by neither gender nor parental status, other sociodemographic factors, variables concerning the personal professional life and the residency in general, the subjective perceived workload nor the site of specialist training. Participation in research activities differed significantly between male and female residents. The residents' assessment of their own professional prospects and the prospects of the subject were consistently positive, even though residents consider the current requirement planning by the GB-A for human geneticists as inappropriate and believe that human genetics is not yet firmly anchored as a specialist discipline in the consciousness of other medical colleagues and the general public.

Conclusions

Career satisfaction of German human genetics residents is generally high and mainly influenced by life satisfaction, occupational self-efficacy expectations and quality of the specialist training. In contrast to other specialties career satisfaction seems to be independent from gender or parental status even though male residents were significantly more often involved in research activities. In order to keep human genetics residents in the specialty, measures that enable balanced professional and care work as well as continuous improvement of specialist education, e. g. through the implementation of structured curricula and continuing education of the doctors entitled to specialist training, is of great importance.

[The Impact of Parenthood, Support, and Short-Term Contracts on Work-Family Conflict of Female and Male Residents' Career]

BACKGROUND

Work factors and work-family interference play an important role in physicians leaving clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine residents' work-family conflict and family-work conflict in association with parental status, perceived support, and short-term contracts.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data acquisition was carried out within the multi-centric and prospective "KarMed" study in Germany at the end of the postgraduate training in 2016 (N=433). The Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict scales were used. Further independent variables were gender, parental status, short-term contracts, and perceived support from partner. Results Female physicians with children interrupted postgraduate training five times more often then female physicians without children and 18 times more often than male physicians with children. Female as well as male physicians with children showed greater family-work conflicts, and female physicians without children scored higher on work-family conflict. Male physicians did not show significant results on work-family conflict. Neither short-term contracts nor perceived support from the partner had a significant influence on work-family or family work conflict.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to reduce work-family conflicts and their associated factors in female resident physicians.

Arbeitsbelastung und Arbeitszufriedenheit rechtsmedizinisch tätiger Ärztinnen und Ärzte

Hintergrund und Ziele

Das Fach Rechtsmedizin unterscheidet sich strukturell und inhaltlich sehr von anderen medizinischen Disziplinen. Da zu Arbeitsbelastung und Berufszufriedenheit der Rechtsmediziner*innen im deutschsprachigen Raum bislang wenig bekannt ist, wurden diese Aspekte über eine Online-Befragung untersucht.

Material und Methoden

Der Fragebogen wurde im September 2019 online an 436 rechtsmedizinisch tätige Ärzt*innen verschickt. Er enthielt je nach Antwortverhalten der Teilnehmer bis zu 53 Fragen zu den Themen Arbeitsbelastung und -zufriedenheit, Weiterbildung, Karriere, Forschung, Beruf vs. Privatleben und Generationenwandel. Die psychosoziale Arbeitsbelastung wurde anhand des Modells der beruflichen Gratifikationskrisen überprüft.

Ergebnisse

Von 199 bearbeiteten Fragebogen waren 181 vollständig ausgefüllt und konnten ausgewertet werden. Der Großteil der Befragten war zufrieden mit der Routinetätigkeit. Die Hälfte der Weiterbildungsassistent*innen (WBA) war zufrieden mit den institutsinternen Weiterbildungsbedingungen. Nur etwas mehr als ein Drittel der Befragten war zufrieden mit der wissenschaftlichen Tätigkeit; die Hälfte der befragten Ärzt*innen forschte aktiv. Die psychosoziale Arbeitsbelastung war bei einem mittleren ER-Quotienten von 1,24 insgesamt eher hoch. Es zeigten sich keine Unterschiede bezüglich Arbeitsbelastung und -zufriedenheit zwischen Assistenz- und Fachärzt*innen. Nur wenige WBA strebten eine zukünftige Leitungsposition an.

Diskussion

Die (hohe) psychosoziale Arbeitsbelastung der Rechtsmediziner*innen ist vergleichbar mit anderen medizinischen Fachrichtungen. Die gleichzeitig hohe Arbeitszufriedenheit könnte für eine Inkaufnahme der (Mehr‑)Belastung aufgrund einer hohen intrinsischen Motivation sprechen. Aus den erhobenen Daten lässt sich Handlungsbedarf zur Etablierung optimierter Bedingungen für Forschung und institutsinterne Weiterbildung ableiten.

[Analysis of career and life satisfaction of women residents with children during their postgraduate training compared to male colleagues: A longitudinal analysis as part of the KarMed study]

OBJECTIVE

Former results of the KarMed study revealed a significant decrease in the career satisfaction of female physicians with children in the course of their postgraduate training compared to male physicians with children. Yet, female physicians with children showed the highest scores on satisfaction with life at the fourth year of postgraduate training. The present study evaluates whether the different courses of career satisfaction and life satisfaction of female physicians compared to male physicians are caused by parental status.

METHODS

Data were collected in the course of the KarMed study (2008-2016). A cross-lagged panel design was used to analyze data from T2 to T5.

RESULTS

The results indicate an inverse association of career satisfaction with life satisfaction. Women physicians with a low level of career satisfaction were more likely to have children than those with a higher career satisfaction. Furthermore, we found a causal effect of parental status on career satisfaction in male physicians. For female physicians, yet not for male physicians, life satisfaction predicts the parental status.

CONCLUSIONS

The structural improvement in postgraduate training needs to be adjusted in terms of parental status. Prospective studies should take medical leave during pregnancy as well as parental leave of male medical residents into account.

Burnout is associated with work-family conflict and gratification crisis among German resident physicians

BACKGROUND

Studies investigating the longitudinal predictive value of burnout on both effort-reward imbalance (within the working place) and work-family conflict (between work and private life) in residents are lacking. Former cross-sectional studies showed an association of effort-reward imbalance and work family conflict with an elevated burnout risk in physicians.

METHODS

Data acquisition was carried out within the multi-centric, longitudinal, and prospective "KarMed" study in Germany from 2009 until 2016. Yearly surveys including validated scales: the Maslach Burnout Inventory with its three subscales (emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment, depersonalisation), the Work-Family Conflict Scale, and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Inventory. Further independent variables were gender and parental status.The analyses were based on general linear models and general linear mixed models with repeated measures designs.

RESULTS

Significant time-fixed effects were found for all three subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, with gender effects on the subscales emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. The parental status had no significant effect on burnout. All estimated means for burnout during 6 years of post-graduate training were higher when work-family conflict and gratification crisis were taken into account. Personal accomplishment increased continuously over time as well showing neither gender differences nor influences by the parental status.

CONCLUSIONS

Personal accomplishments might act as a buffer compensating to some extent for the physicians' stress experience. Given that burnout may be associated with poor patient care, there is a need to reduce burnout rates and their associated factors in resident physicians.

[Longitudinal evaluation of female and male medical residents' career satisfaction]

OBJECTIVE

Evaluation of longitudinal data of German medical residents' career satisfaction and its dependency on perceived delays in obtaining the degree as a medical specialist, as well as postgraduate training quality, controlled for gender, parental status, and specialty choice.

METHODS

Data was collected within the KarMed study. The first data collection (T0) was conducted in 2008/2009 at the end of the practical year. Hierarchical linear models and path analysis were used to analyse longitudinal associations after three and five years (T3 to T5).

RESULTS

A positive residents' career satisfaction had a small causal effect on the training quality. A delay in obtaining the degree as a medical specialist had a small negative effect on residents' career satisfaction. A high residents' career satisfaction was negatively associated with a delay in training. Gender predicted the career satisfaction of physicians with children. The career satisfaction of female physicians with children decreased significantly in the course of their postgraduate training compared to male physicians with children. The speciality choice had no significant impact on residents' career satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Residents who were satisfied with their job subjectively rated the quality of postgraduate training conditions more positively. The anticipated delays in obtaining the degree as a medical specialist and the residents' career satisfaction were reciprocally related. The improvement of career satisfaction in female physicians with children needs special attention in the future.