Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Leave of Foreign-National Urologists Working at German Hospitals: Results of the Cross-Sectional EUTAKD Study

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Studies exist that identify factors associated with higher professional satisfaction among clinicians. However, there are no reliable findings for clinicians with a migration background as to whether there is a correlation between particular dimensions of professional satisfaction and the desire to leave their current specialty or country of employment. For the first time, these data were collected within a questionnaire-based study from urological clinicians with a migration background (UCMBs) working in Germany. <b><i>Material and Methods:</i></b> A SurveyMonkey^® with 101 items relating to characterizing features of the study participants and questions about job satisfaction (<i>n</i> = 39) was opened for UCMBs between August and October 2020. The influence of different dimensions of job satisfaction on the desire to quit the urological specialty/leave Germany was analyzed (group A: neither want to leave urology nor Germany; group B: can at least imagine leaving the urological profession and/or Germany). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Eighty-one UCMBs were distributed almost equally in groups A (50.6%) and B (49.4%). Occupational satisfaction was higher in several respects in group A. Three dimensions that differed significantly with regard to occupational satisfaction were used to create an aggregate score ranging from 3 to 15 points as follows: (1) relationship to superiors (<i>p</i> = 0.014), (2) career opportunities in the clinic (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), and (3) opportunities for the further development of surgical skills (<i>p</i> = 0.006). For each point value of this aggregate score, the UCMB’s desire to quit urology or leave Germany (or at least uncertainty about this question) decreased by a relative value of 34.6% (odds ratio: 0.654, 95% confidence interval: 0.496–0.861, <i>p</i> = 0.002). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Various dimensions of job satisfaction have been identified, the improvement of which could contribute to the long-term retention of UCMBs at German urological clinics.

Emotional Exhaustion and Professional Satisfaction during Covid-19 Pandemic at the Level of Emergency Department Staff

Introduction: Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as result of the chronic stress at the work place which was not successfully managed. The possible negative effects on the medical staff, the patients and the health institutions have generated interest and motivated the research to understand the possible causes, these effects also influence the burnout predictors. The medical services suppliers within the emergency department have had one of the greatest exhaution occurences even before the pandemic. Being in the first line in contact with the suspected patients or confirmed with COVID-19 infection intensifies this fact. Both the working factors (working hours, years of practice, number of treated patients, professional development activities) and the socio- demographic factors (age, sex, civil status, income, education) are associated with the exhaustion at the work place. Material and methods: I have studied a total of 120 participants, receiving 115 valid questionnaires, the answering ratio being 95,83%. This was a descriptive, multicentre, transversal study of the medical and the auxiliary staff within the department UPU-SMURD of the County Clinic Emergency Hospital “Sf. Ap. Andrei” Galați. The staff gave their consent and attended a combined interview which consisted of a pilot questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. Results and discussions: The average score of exhaustion at the staff level was 3.25, a great percentage of the doctors within the ED (45.8%), (n=24) indicates an increased level of exhaustion, only 26.8% (n=80) of nurses show an increased level of exhaustion. The average score of the stress level shown by the staff is 3.1, 66.6% (n=24) among which the doctors with an increased stress level 9.1% (n=9) auxiliary staff, 23.8% (n=80) of nurses. Conclusions: The results show us a high exhaustion, stress and depression ratio at the emergency doctors in comparison with the other professional categories within the ED. A high level of professional satisfaction is accompanied by an increased level of stress and of self-esteem.

Factors Influencing Choice of Medical Specialty among Ophthalmology and Non-Ophthalmology Residency Applicants

Objective The study aimed to investigate factors influencing choice of specialty among ophthalmology and non-ophthalmology residency applicants. Patients and Methods Anonymous, web-based surveys were distributed through REDCap to the 2019 to 2020 residency applicants to the Penn State Department of Ophthalmology and, as a control group, Penn State medical students applying to non-ophthalmology residencies for the 2019 to 2020 cycle. The primary outcome was factors that influenced specialty choice among ophthalmology versus non-ophthalmology applicants. Secondary outcomes include hours of exposure to applicants' selected specialty in the medical school preclinical curriculum, and proportion of ophthalmology versus non-ophthalmology applicants who decided on, or developed a strong interest in, their specialty prior to clinical rotations. Results Surveys were completed by 203/441 (46.0%) ophthalmology and 85/139 (61.1%) non-ophthalmology applicants. Fewer than 20 hours of exposure to an applicant's selected specialty were provided in the medical school preclinical curriculum for 86.7% of ophthalmology and 42.4% of non-ophthalmology applicants (p < 0.001). Ophthalmology applicants decided on, or developed a strong interest in, their selected specialty before clinical rotations at a similar rate to non-ophthalmology applicants (60.6 vs. 58.8%, respectively). Factors influencing specialty choice cited most commonly by ophthalmology applicants include professional satisfaction (94.1%), performing surgeries/procedures (92.6%), personal fit with specialty (91.1%), work-life balance (91.1%), and ability to see patients in a clinic setting (90.6%), compared to personal fit with specialty (95.3%)%, clinical rotation in selected specialty (95.3%), professional satisfaction (91.8%), intellectual stimulation (89.4%), and subinternship or away rotation (89.4%) among non-ophthalmology applicants. Conclusion Professional satisfaction and personal fit with specialty were among the most commonly cited factors influencing specialty choice for both groups. Other factors cited most frequently by ophthalmology applicants include performing surgeries/procedures, work-life balance, and ability to see patients in a clinic setting. Despite limited ophthalmology exposure in medical school preclinical curricula, ophthalmology applicants decided on, or developed a strong interest in, their selected specialty before clinical rotations at a rate similar to non-ophthalmology applicants.

Professional satisfaction of health professional undergraduates and influencing factors in Hebei province, China

Background Professional satisfaction of health professional students can impact on their medical professional achievement. Understanding the professional satisfaction of health professional students and identifying its relative factors is beneficial to strengthen the professionalism education of health professional students, and provide solid foundation for future medical achievements. Methods A self-made questionnaire was used to survey undergraduate students of six medical universities in Hebei province. The survey included three aspects: students’ basic situation, professional selection and cognition, and basic situation of colleges. The Kruskal–Wallis H test was used to compare the professional satisfaction of students with different characteristics. All covariates were used in the ordinal logistics regression analysis to identify the independent factors associated with professional satisfaction. Results A total of 1238 (97.7%) students responded to the questionnaire in the survey, and 66.0% were women. Students with public health majors had decreased satisfaction compared with those with clinical-related majors. Professional satisfaction decreased among women compared with men. The non-first-choice students had lower professional satisfaction compared with the first-choice students. Students who chose their volunteer with the help of others had lower professional satisfaction compared with students who independently chose their volunteer. Students who did not understand the employment status had lower professional satisfaction compared with students who understood the employment status. Students with fewer employment prospects had lower professional satisfaction compared with students with bright employment prospects. Students generally dissatisfied with the canteen had lower professional satisfaction compared with students satisfied with the canteen. Students who were very satisfied or satisfied with teaching levels were more likely to have professional satisfaction. Conclusions The professional satisfaction of health professional undergraduates in Hebei province is high. Employment-related aspects and university environment influence professional satisfaction including canteens, understanding of employment status, teachers’ teaching level, etc., which are the main factors affecting professional satisfaction, but the factors such as student employment prospects and majors cannot be changed in the current environment.

Physician burnout and professional satisfaction in orthopedic surgeons during the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: Burnout and professional satisfaction is an often an overlooked component for healthcare outcomes; the COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented stressor that could contribute to higher levels of burnout. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to evaluate the association of a battery of fulfillment, job satisfaction change, COVID-19 concerns, and coping measures. Our secondary objective was to determine whether the fulfillment and coping measures differed by gender and by experience levels among a battery of physician specialties. METHODS: The study was a purposive sample of convenience. Study participants included all trainees and attending orthopedic surgeons from our academic institution; all participants were invited to complete a survey built around a validated measure of professional fulfillment aimed at assessing response to acute change and stressors. We performed univariate statistics and a matrix correlational analysis to correlate different survey domains with variables of interest. RESULTS: The survey was sent electronically to 138 individuals; 63 surveys were completed (response rate = 45.7%). Twenty-seven (42.8%) individuals met the threshold criteria for fulfillment whereas 10 (15.9%) met the threshold for burnout. We found that surgeon perspectives on COVID-19 were not associated with burnout or professional fulfillment. Burnout was inversely associated with professional fulfillment (R = –0.35). Support seeking was noted to be correlated with professional fulfillment (R = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: Stressors related to COVID-19 pandemic were not correlated with physician burnout and fulfillment. This held true even when stratifying by gender and by attending vs. trainee. Continued efforts should be implemented to protect against physician burnout and ensure professional fulfillment for Orthopedic surgeons.

Descripción de las competencias pedagógicas del educador infantil ecuatoriano

El objetivo de la investigación es identificar las principales competencias docentes de los maestros de educación inicial en el Ecuador. En esta investigación se utiliza un enfoque descriptivo y correlacional de tipo cuantitativo; el instrumento de aplicación es un cuestionario Ad hoc denominado: “Competencias docentes en la educadora infantil” dirigido a los maestros de educación inicial que trabajan con niños de 0 a 6 años. Este instrumento se divide en 4 dimensiones: personal, social, práctica docente y satisfacción profesional. La población es de 50 maestros de educación inicial del Ecuador de diferentes centros educativos: fiscales, particulares y fiscomisionales. Como principales resultados, se puede observar que la educadora inicial tiene una visión integral de información en principios teóricos y prácticos que les permita un desenvolvimiento sistémico; además, que se trata de un profesional integral y multidimensional que debe estar en constante capacitación y transformación en su forma de actuar y pensar. PALABRAS CLAVE: educador infantil; competencias; práctica docente; satisfacción profesional. Description of the pedagogical competences of the Ecuadorian infant educator ABSTRACT The objective of the research is to identify the main teaching competencies of early childhood teachers in Ecuador. In this research a descriptive and correlational approach of a quantitative type is used; The application instrument is an Ad hoc questionnaire called: "Teaching competencies in the early childhood educator" aimed at early childhood teachers who work with children from 0 to 6 years old. This instrument is divided into 4 dimensions: personal, social, teaching practice and professional satisfaction. The population is 50 teachers of initial education in Ecuador from different educational centers: fiscal, private and fiscal. As main results, it can be observed that the initial educator has an integral vision of information in theoretical and practical principles that allows a systemic development; in addition, that he is a comprehensive and multidimensional professional who must be in constant training and transformation in his way of acting and thinking. KEYWORDS: child educator; competencies; teaching practice; professional satisfaction.