Understanding the Trauma/Acute Care Surgery Workforce

Abstract

As the roles of trauma/acute care surgeons continue to evolve, it is imperative that health-care systems adapt to meet workforce needs. Tailoring retention strategies that elicit workforce satisfaction ensure continued coverage that is mutually beneficial to surgeons and health-care systems. We sought to elicit factors related to career characteristics and expectations of the trauma/acute care surgery (ACS) workforce to assist with such future progress. In this study, 1552 Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma members were anonymously surveyed. Data collected included demographics, career expectations, and motivators of trauma/ACS. Four hundred eight (26%) Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma members responded. Respondents were 78 per cent male and had a median age of 47.3 years. Forty-six per cent of surgeons reported earning $351K-$475K and 23 per cent >$475K. At this point in their career, 49 per cent of surgeons felt quality of life was "most important", followed by 31 per cent career ambitions and 13 per cent salary. Prominent career satisfiers were patient care and teaching. Greatest detractors were burnout, bureaucracy, and work environment. Eighty per cent would change jobs in the final 10 years of practice, 31 per cent because of family/retirement, 29 per cent because of professional growth, 24 per cent because of workload, and 7 per cent because of salary. This study could be used to help develop trauma/ACS workforce strategies. This workforce remains mobile into late career; personal happiness and patient ownership overshadow financial rewards, and most prefer a total and shared patient care model compared with no patient ownership. Burnout, bureaucracy, and work environment are dominant detractors of job satisfaction among surveyed trauma/ACS surgeons.