Physician perceptions of recruitment and retention factors in an area with a regional medical campus
- PMID: 30140338
- PMCID: PMC6104334
Physician perceptions of recruitment and retention factors in an area with a regional medical campus
Abstract
Background: The factors that influence physicians to establish and maintain their practice in a region are variable. The presence of a regional medical campus (RMC) could influence physicians' choice. The objective of this study was to explore the factors influencing physician recruitment and retention, and in particular the role of a RMC, in a region of Quebec.
Methods: A literature review of factors influencing physicians to stay in a rural area was conducted in order to create an interview guide. Questions were divided into sections: general information, family situation, medical training, career choice, current practice, intent to stay in the region, and impact of the RMC. Thirteen semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with practicing physicians. Data were analyzed using QDAMiner.
Results: Recruitment factors were divided into six major themes: type of practice, spousal interest, opportunity for teaching, training in a region, workforce planning, and quality of life. Participants identified positive and negative factors associated with retention. In both cases, family and quality of work environment were mentioned. The RMC was perceived as having important impacts on the quality of professional life, research, medical practice, and regional development.
Conclusion: This study highlights the role of RMCs in physician recruitment and retention via multiple impacts on the quality of practice of physicians working in the same area.
Contexte: Les facteurs influençant les médecins à s’établir et à rester dans une région sont variables. La présence d’un campus médical régional (CMR) pourrait influencer ce choix. L’objectif de cette étude était d’explorer les facteurs de recrutement et de rétention influençant les médecins ayant choisi de pratiquer dans la région du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean au Québec, en particulier le rôle du CMR.
Méthodes: Une synthèse de la littérature a permis d’identifier différents facteurs influençant les médecins dans leur choix de lieu de pratique. Un guide d’entrevue a été élaboré à partir de ces facteurs. Les questions étaient séparées selon les sections suivantes: informations générales, situation familiale, études médicales, choix de carrière, pratique actuelle, intention de rester dans la région, impact du CMR. Treize entrevues semi-dirigées individuelles ont été réalisées avec des médecins en pratique. Les données ont été analysées avec QDA Miner.
Résultats: Les facteurs influençant le recrutement étaient séparés en six thèmes majeurs : type de pratique, intérêt du conjoint, opportunité d’enseigner, formation en région, planification gouvernementale des effectifs médicaux et qualité de vie. Les participants ont identifié des facteurs de rétention négatifs et positifs. Ceux-ci concernaient la famille et la qualité de l’environnement de travail. D’après les participants, le CMR avait un impact direct sur la qualité de la vie professionnelle, la recherche, la pratique médicale et le développement régional.
Conclusion: Cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence le rôle des CMRs dans le recrutement et la rétention via de multiples impacts sur la qualité de pratique des médecins exerçant dans la même région.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of interest: The study researchers have no conflict of interest. Funding for this research was provided by the Programme de formation médicale à Saguenay (Saguenay Medical Education Program). Dr Hatcher is the Associate Dean for this program, but was not involved in the team analysis of this qualitative study.
Similar articles
-
Building a sustainable rural physician workforce.Med J Aust. 2021 Jul;215 Suppl 1:S5-S33. doi: 10.5694/mja2.51122. Med J Aust. 2021. PMID: 34218436
-
Recruitment and retention of physicians in rural Alberta: the spousal perspective.Rural Remote Health. 2016 Jan-Mar;16(1):3620. Epub 2016 Feb 9. Rural Remote Health. 2016. PMID: 26859245
-
Physicians' perceptions on the impact of telemedicine on recruitment and retention in underserved areas: a descriptive study in Senegal.Hum Resour Health. 2017 Sep 18;15(1):67. doi: 10.1186/s12960-017-0242-z. Hum Resour Health. 2017. PMID: 28923056 Free PMC article.
-
The roles of nature and nurture in the recruitment and retention of primary care physicians in rural areas: a review of the literature.Acad Med. 2002 Aug;77(8):790-8. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200208000-00008. Acad Med. 2002. PMID: 12176692 Review.
-
To stay or not to stay: issues in rural primary care physician retention in eastern Kentucky.J Rural Health. 1994 Fall;10(4):273-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-0361.1994.tb00241.x. J Rural Health. 1994. PMID: 10139175 Review.
Cited by
-
Exploration of how primary care models influence job satisfaction among primary care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick: a descriptive and comparative study.BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Mar 7;23(1):223. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09211-2. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023. PMID: 36882756 Free PMC article.
-
Income, workload, and any other factors associated with anticipated retention of rural doctors?Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2022 Mar 2;23:e12. doi: 10.1017/S1463423621000839. Prim Health Care Res Dev. 2022. PMID: 35232522 Free PMC article.
-
Factors Influencing In-State Retention Rates of Graduating Residents From Penn State College of Medicine Compared to National Average Retention Rates.Cureus. 2020 Sep 13;12(9):e10431. doi: 10.7759/cureus.10431. Cureus. 2020. PMID: 33062544 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Organization WH Increasing access to health workers in remote and rural areas through improved retention: global policy recommendations. World Health Organization; 2010. - PubMed
-
- Canadian Medical Association. Basic physician facts. [Internet] 2017; Available at: https://www.cma.ca/en/pages/basic-physician-facts.aspx [Accessed October 17, 2017].
-
- Canadian Medical Association. Physicians Within and Outside Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) and Census Agglomerations. 2015.
-
- Gouvernement du Canada. Population, urban and rural, by province and territory (Quebec) [Internet] 2011; Available at: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo62f-eng.htm. [Accessed January 18, 2018].
-
- Touati N, Turgeon J. Répartition géographique des médecins de famille: quelles solutions à un problème complexe? Santé Publique. 2013;25(4):465-73. - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources