Satisfaction with career choice among U.S. plastic surgeons: results from a national survey.
BACKGROUND
The authors' purpose was to describe patterns and correlates of satisfaction with career choice among U.S. plastic surgeons.


METHODS
A mailed, self-administered survey was sent to 708 U.S. plastic surgeons who were randomly sampled from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons registry (71 percent response rate, n = 505). The dependent variable was satisfaction with the decision to become a plastic surgeon, which was created from a scale of four validated questions measuring decisional satisfaction and decisional regret. The independent variables included surgeon and practice characteristics. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between satisfaction with the decision to become a plastic surgeon and independent factors.


RESULTS
Few respondents (4 percent) regretted becoming plastic surgeons. Factors independently associated with greater satisfaction with the decision to become a plastic surgeon included group practice compared with solo practice (odds ratio, 1.65; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.0 to 2.71), resident educator (odds ratio, 1.88; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 3.31), and a highly cosmetic practice mix: primarily cosmetic versus primarily reconstructive (odds ratio, 2.42; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.25 to 4.66) and mixed versus primarily reconstructive (odds ratio, 1.59, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.92 to 2.76). Demographic factors such as age and gender were not associated with surgeon satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the majority of plastic surgeons are satisfied with their career choice despite the current health care and economic environment. Factors significantly associated with greater satisfaction with career choice included group practice, involvement in resident education, and a highly elective cosmetic practice.
Streu
Rachel
R
Ann Arbor, Mich. From the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center; the Department of General Surgery, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital; the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research; and the Division of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan.
Hawley
Sarah
S
Gay
Ashley
A
Salem
Barbara
B
Abrahamse
Paul
P
Alderman
Amy K
AK
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000639:trends; D011336:Probability; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013518:Surgery, Plastic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce