title: A review of trends in attrition rates for surgical faculty: a case for a sustainable retention strategy to cope with demographic and economic realities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our aim was to compare trends in retention of academic surgeons by reviewing surgical faculty attrition rates (leaving academic surgery for any reason) of 3 cohorts at 5-year intervals between 1996 and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Association of American Medical Colleges' Faculty Administrative Management On-Line User System database was queried for a retention report of all tenure/clinical track full-time MD faculty within our academic medical center on July 1, 1996 (group 1), July 1, 2001 (group 2), and July 1, 2006 (group 3). Retention was tracked for 5 years post snapshot. The individual 5-year cohort attrition rates (observed frequencies) were compared with combined attrition rates for all 3 groups (expected frequencies).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, attrition trends for groups 2 (lower) and 3 (higher) were significantly different than the trends for all groups combined. Minorities and professors at the full or associate rank in group 3 contributed to this difference. Faculty in group 3 leaving our academic medical center were significantly more likely to transition into nonacademic practice compared with the other 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater attrition in the last 5-year cohort, despite the increase in faculty positions, is worrisome. A continuous retention life cycle is critical if academic medical centers hope to compete for talent. Retention planning should include on-boarding programs for enculturation, monitoring of professional satisfaction, formalized mentoring of younger surgeons, retaining academic couples and a part-time workforce, leadership and talent management, exit interviews, and competitive financial packages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Bhagwan.satiani@osumc.edu
authors.forename: Bhagwan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Satiani
authors.forename: Thomas E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brod
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Way
authors.forename: E Christopher
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ellison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002322:Career Mobility; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends