World

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Doctors in pediatrics, geriatrics happiest

By: Anna Tong

Posted: 11/27/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A new University of California Davis study on physician job satisfaction found differences among medical specialties, with the happiest doctors caring for children and the elderly.

That doctors treating seniors are among the most satisfied contradicts trends in medical schools, where students mostly avoid the specialty because it's perceived to be unprofitable and unglamorous.

"Satisfaction ought to be a factor to students when they select their specialty," said Paul Leigh, lead author and a professor in the University of California Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research.

The study, which culled data from a 2004 to 2005 nationwide survey of 6,500 physicians across 42 specialties, was published online in BMC Health Services Research.

Geriatrics, a specialty within internal medicine dealing with the elderly, had the second-most satisfied doctors, behind pediatric emergency medicine.

Yet, last year in the U.S., there were only 250 medical school graduates trained in geriatrics, said Dr. Cheryl Phillips, president of the American Geriatrics Society.

"We don't do a very good job of exposing students to geriatrics," she said. "And when medical students are exposed to it, they say, 'Gee I could be a geriatrician and make $160,000 or a dermatologist and make $500,000.' "

Geriatrics requires an additional year of training after an internal medicine residency and geriatricians receive 20 per cent less pay than if they had taken a general internist position, Phillips said. That's because the specialty requires long visits with patients and relies heavily on reimbursements from Medicare.

Yet geriatricians are happy.

"We work very closely with the rest of the health-care team, as opposed to many other specialties where physicians are often isolated," said Phillips.

This "team sport" idea also is reflected in pediatric emergency medicine, the specialty with the most satisfaction.

The study also found no difference in satisfaction between male and female doctors, nor among races.

-- McClatchy Newspapers

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 27, 2009 A26

(You must be logged in to post your reaction)

Your reaction?

More World

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.