There are six common factors that fuel breast radiologists’ desire to leave a job, according to new data published Oct. 7 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
The findings are derived from a survey of 228 practicing members of the Society of Breast Imaging (for a nearly 9% response rate). Researchers with Brown University developed the “psychometrically valid” survey on workplace satisfaction to examine the predictors of workforce movement among the profession.
They believe the tool could prove useful for leaders hoping to measure the pulse of their own clinical staffs.
“Pending further validation in larger and different cohorts, the survey created here can be administered by radiology practices to predict when breast radiologists are vulnerable to quitting,” Grayson L. Baird, PhD, with the Brown Radiology Human Factors Lab, and co-authors concluded. “While this measure was designed for breast radiologists specifically, it could be adapted for other subspecialties,” they added.
The survey was conducted via email in the first quarter of 2022, reaching a total of more than 2,600 individuals. The vast majority of respondents were white (82%) female (77%), and between the ages of 36 and 55 (62%). About 45% of those reached said they were thinking of leaving or had left their practice within the previous two years.
Baird et al. broke the respondents into three groups: those who had left a job, those who were thinking of departing, and those who planned on staying. All were asked to share their attitudes toward the same 31 aspects of their current job or the one they vacated. Factor analysis was performed to help identify the most important aspects of a job that influenced radiologists to leave.
They main factors associated with workforce movement in breast radiology are:
- Not enough work-life balance.
- Too low of a salary.
- Not feeling valued.
- Wanting a different challenge/more growth opportunity.
- Safety concerns.
- Not feeling respected by physician leadership.
“Interestingly, not enough vacation, not having new job-related skills, and technology/PACS/EMR challenges were not problematic enough to provoke those staying to leave,” the authors advised.
Baird et al. believe balancing the No. 1 factor (not enough work-life balance) with No. 2 (too low of a salary) could present a challenge.
“However, individuals place different value on these factors, and practice leaders could endeavor to address both issues by increasing opportunities that allow radiologists to prioritize either income or work-life balance,” the study noted. “Effective leadership is inversely related to burnout, and radiology leaders need to engage with physicians and understand what motivates them on an individual level. Such engagement may also address the feeling of not being respected by physician leadership, which was one driver of radiologists leaving. Consistent with earlier recommendations, practice leaders can hold career development conversations with radiologists to reduce burnout and identify new growth opportunities.”
Read much more, and find the entire survey itself, in JACR at the link below.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.