Job satisfaction and workplace characteristics of primary and specialty care physicians at a bimodal medical school.

PURPOSE: A few medical schools are highly successful in obtaining research funding and producing primary care physicians. The authors compared the job satisfaction of primary and specialty care faculty at one of these bimodal schools.

METHODS: In 1998, all full-time physician-faculty (n = 408) in 15 clinical departments at the University of Iowa College of Medicine (a bimodal medical school) were sent a questionnaire based on the Price-Mueller model of job satisfaction. Faculty rated their global job satisfaction and perceptions about 18 workplace characteristics, stressors, and supports. Responses of primary and specialty care physicians were compared in these domains.

RESULTS: A total of 71% of surveyed faculty (n = 341) returned usable questionnaires. Primary and specialty care faculty reported similar levels of job satisfaction (p =.20), and similar percentages (51% versus 54%, p =.63) reported overall satisfaction with their jobs at the medical school. However, primary care faculty perceived less opportunity to advance (p <.01), greater professional-role ambiguity (p =.02), less collegiality (p =.02), and less ability to make full use of their clinical skills (p =.01). Primary and specialty care faculty reported similar intentions of leaving the medical school within the coming year (p =.41).

CONCLUSIONS: Primary and specialty care physicians at one bimodal medical school reported similar levels of job satisfaction. However, the primary care physicians rated several important job-related domains lower than did their specialty care colleagues, most notably the opportunity to advance within the medical school.