Physicians' exodus: why medical graduates leave Austria or do not work in clinical practice.
BACKGROUND
Austria has the highest number of medical graduates of all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries in relation to its population size, but over 30% choose not to pursue a career as physicians in the country.
This article describes under- and postgraduate medical education in Austria and analyses reasons for the exodus of physicians.
In Austria, medicine is a 5- or 6-year degree offered at four public and two private medical schools. Medical graduates have to complete training in general medicine or a speciality to attain a licence to practice. While not compulsory for speciality training, board certification in general medicine has often been regarded as a prerequisite for access to speciality training posts.


METHODS
Unstructured postgraduate training curricula, large amounts of administrative tasks, low basic salaries and long working hours present for incentives for medical graduates to move abroad or to work in a non-clinical setting. The scope of current reforms, such as the establishment of a new medical faculty and the implementation of a common trunk, is possibly insufficient in addressing the issue.


CONCLUSIONS
Extensive reforms regarding occupational conditions and the structure of postgraduate medical education are necessary to avoid a further exodus of junior doctors.
Institute of General Practice, Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Paracelsus Medical University, Strubergasse 21, 5020, Salzburg, Austria, sebastian.scharer@pmu.ac.at.
Sebastian
S
Scharer
Andreas
A
Freitag
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001317:Austria; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D058006:General Practice / Q000193:education*; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008007:Licensure, Medical; D008511:Medicine; D009313:National Health Programs; D010819:Physician's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D013044:Specialty Boards; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*