J Korean Med Assoc.  2012 Nov;55(11):1128-1141.

A survey on the education, medical practice, research, and fringe benefits of Korean medical school faculty

• Seo KH
• Lim SM
• Lee BI
• Park CH
• Park YH

Abstract

In general, medical school faculty have to perform clinical practice in addition to their educational and research activities, unlike the professors of other departments, while simultaneously playing an important role within the medical profession. However, some organizational or environmental factors decrease the job satisfaction of medical professors. This study aimed to determine the current status of medical schools professors' job activities, satisfaction level, factors related to job satisfaction, and so on. A structured questionnaire was used in the survey and 936 valid responses (response rate, 79.1%) were analyzed using SAS version 9.1. Items included in the questionnaire were work tasks, satisfaction with work and environment, fringe benefits, and future plans. Our study found that the satisfaction of respondents with research activities was not high, and they had negative perceptions of their work environment. Also, it was found that job satisfaction was most affected by work environment. In the section on fringe benefits, a variety of fringe benefits were provided to respondents but their actual satisfaction was not high. To enhance the overall job satisfaction of medical school faculty, all the matters related to their work tasks and environmental factors have to be considered in the aspect of their own role in medical school. The limitations of this study were a low response rate to the early online survey and a long duration of the survey period. However, these limitations were resolved by an additional mail survey modality and statistical techniques. It is meaningful that this study was an extensive survey aimed at medical school faculty and dealt with a comprehensive range of issues.

Keyword

Medical faculty; Research; Patient care; Fringe benefit; Personal satisfaction

MeSH Terms

Education, Medical
Faculty, Medical
Humans
Job Satisfaction
Patient Care
Personal Satisfaction
Phenothiazines
Postal Service
Salaries and Fringe Benefits
Schools, Medical
Surveys and Questionnaires
Phenothiazines

Figure

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  Figure 1 The perception of the work itself. 1. It provides a lot of opportunities to acquire new knowledge or techniques. 2. It's an acknowledged and socially respected job. 3. It gives me intellectual stimulation and a sense of achievement. 4. It's pleasant and rewarding. 5. It affords a lot of opportunities to display one's own ability. 6. It requires a lot of time in clerical (administrative) transactions. 7. It gives me stress. 8. It makes me frustrated. 9. It's boring and gets me fed up. 10. It doesn't matter whether I work hard or just get by. A likert 5-point scale was used.

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  Figure 2 The perception of the working environment. 1. There is sufficient space for business activities. 2. There is a sufficient workforce for business activities. 3. Working conditions such as noise, lighting, and indoor temperature are pleasant. 4. Medical devices and equipment are sufficient to perform medical services. 5. There is sufficient time for business activities. A likert 5-point scale was used.

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  Figure 3 Overall satisfaction with the work itself and the working environment.

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  Figure 4 Current quality of fringe benefits. 1. Aid for training abroad period and number. 2. Financial aid and approval of period for domestic and international conference attendance. 3. Regular holidays. 4. Amount of pay. 5. Incentive for medical activity. 6. Financial aid for college-aged children. 7. Leave of absence system. 8. Sabbatical system.

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  Figure 5 Future plan of medical school faculty. 1. Move to another university. 2. Retirement. 3. Open one's own clinic/hospital. 4. Change one's job to another profession. 5. Plan to increase one's research skills or take a sabbatical year. 6. Maintain the current job. 7. Other. 8. No plan for the future (including regular retirement).

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