Resident attrition: is gender a factor?
OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to identify the causes of resident attrition from obstetrics and gynecology on the basis of gender.


METHODS
Two sequential questionnaires were sent to the 246 obstetrics and gynecology residency programs in the United States in March 2001 and May 2002. The programs were asked for the number of residents who left from 1997 to 2001, the postgraduate years, and genders of those residents, the reasons for leaving, and program demographics. Statistical analysis was performed with chi 2 and odds ratio calculations.


RESULTS
The rate of attrition was 3% over 4 years. Female residents were 2.5 to 5 times as likely as male residents to leave because of family issues, specifically for reasons related to spouses ( P =.002). Female residents were one quarter as likely to leave to change specialty (P =.002), whereas this was the principal reason of more than half of the male residents who left.


CONCLUSIONS
Important gender differences do exist in the reasons for attrition from obstetrics and gynecology residency programs.
Moschos
Elysia
E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. elysia.moschos@utsouthwestern.edu
Beyer
Meri Jane
MJ
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States