323 Meaningful Work, Organizational Commitment, and Administrative Burden Among Attending Neurosurgeons: A National Survey

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: “Meaningful work” is a complex, subjective concept that includes finding positive, personal meaning in work and its contribution to the larger good. Increasing administrative burdens likely represent significant barriers to the practice of meaningful work. The relationship between meaningful work and administrative burden and impact on organizational commitment have not been systematically studied among neurosurgeons. METHODS: An online questionnaire investigating meaningfulness of work, administrative burden, burnout, and practice patterns was emailed to attending neurosurgeon members of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. RESULTS: 308 US-based neurosurgeons participated in the survey. The majority (85.1%) found neurosurgery a meaningful career but 59.4% thought their administrative burden was excessive. Only 16.6% of neurosurgeons believed their organization cared about administrative burden with only 31.6% of neurosurgeons feeling any loyalty to their current organization. Unreasonable administrative burden prompted 17.2% of neurosurgeons to leave a recent position and 24.5% to consider leaving a current position. Neurosurgeons considering leaving had significantly lower scores in meaningful work (p < 0.0001); however, having left a previous position due to administrative burden did not impair future meaningful work experiences (p = 0.14). On multivariable regression, increasing administrative tasks increased burnout (p < 0.05); increasing burnout reduced meaningful work experience (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that most neurosurgeons believe their work to be meaningful but do not feel a strong normative commitment to their place of employment. Increased administrative burden risks burnout, undermines meaningful work, and led 17% of neurosurgeons to leave a recent position with another 24.5% contemplating leaving a current position.