How pregnancy and childbirth affect the working conditions and careers of women surgeons in Japan: findings of a nationwide survey conducted by the Japan Surgical Society

Surgery Today ◽

10.1007/s00595-020-02129-w ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kazumi Kawase ◽

Kyoko Nomura ◽

Sachiyo Nomura ◽

Sadako Akashi-Tanaka ◽

Tomoko Ogawa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Conditions ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Women Surgeons ◽

Pregnancy And Childbirth ◽

Japan Surgical Society

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Work-Related Intervention Needs and Potential Occupational Outcomes among Medical Assistants: A Cross-Sectional Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16132260 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (13) ◽

pp. 2260

Author(s):

Jessica Scharf ◽

Patricia Vu-Eickmann ◽

Jian Li ◽

Andreas Müller ◽

Peter Angerer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Conditions ◽

Nationwide Survey ◽

Intention To Leave ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Occupational Outcomes ◽

Medical Assistants ◽

Individual Level ◽

Work Related ◽

Junior Staff

Medical assistants’ (MAs) working conditions have been characterized as precarious, and workplace-related intervention needs have been identified. However, strategies to change the MAs adverse working conditions are mostly seen on an individual level, including leaving the employer or even the profession. Since such intentions are antecedents of actual turnover, we aimed to quantify the potential link of reported unmet intervention needs with unfavorable occupational outcomes. Data were collected by means of a nationwide survey among medical assistants (n = 994) in Germany (September 2016–April 2017). The three subscales working conditions, reward from the supervisor, and task-related independence were derived from a 12-item instrument regarding work-related interventions needs (the independent variables). We used subscale-specific z-scores and a total needs z-score. The four outcome variables (i.e., intention to leave the employer, intention to leave the MA profession, choosing MA profession again, and recommending MA profession to young people) were dichotomized, and logistic regression analyses were performed and limited to MAs in employment (n = 887). We found that increasing needs according to the categorized total needs score were associated with increasing odds of all occupational outcomes. Needs pertaining to working conditions and reward from the supervisor were the strongest determinants of MAs’ consideration of leaving their employer or profession (Odds ratios: 1.55–2.61). In summary, our study identified unmet work-related intervention needs that are associated with unfavorable occupational outcomes. In light of staffing shortage in health care, the identified needs should be addressed to ensure that sufficient recruitment of junior staff in the profession of medical assistants remains feasible and that experienced staff is retained.

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