Career destinations, job satisfaction and views of the UK medical qualifiers of 1977.
OBJECTIVE
To study the career destinations, job satisfaction and views of UK-trained senior doctors.


METHODS
Postal questionnaire.


METHODS
All doctors who qualified from all UK medical schools in 1977; and Department of Health employment data.


METHODS
Career destinations of medical qualifiers from 1977.


RESULTS
72% responded to the questionnaire. Using all available evidence, including that on non-responders, 76% of the cohort, comprising 77% of the men and 74% of the women, were working in the NHS 27 years after qualification. Approximately 18% were in medical jobs either overseas or outside the NHS. Of respondents in the NHS, 89% of men and 51% of women had full-time contracts. NHS doctors rated their job satisfaction highly, with a median score of 19.5 on a scale from 5 (very low satisfaction) to 25 (very high satisfaction). Satisfaction with time off for leisure was much lower, with a median score of 4.6 on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Of those in the NHS, 67% agreed that they worked longer hours than they thought they should; and 40% agreed that their working conditions were satisfactory.


CONCLUSIONS
27 years after qualification, the percentage of women who were working in the NHS was similar to that of men. Although these senior doctors had high levels of satisfaction with the content of their jobs, they were not so satisfied with their working hours and working conditions. Our results can be used as benchmarks, against which the career pathways and satisfaction levels of more recently qualified doctors can be compared.
Taylor
Kathryn
K
UK Medical Careers Research Group, Department of Public Health, Oxford University Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.
Lambert
Trevor
T
Goldacre
Michael
M
D002321:Career Choice; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom