Satisfaction of junior medical officers in rural Australia

Matthew J Lennon, Belinda G. O’Sullivan, Matthew R. McGrail, Deborah J. Russell, John Preddy

Objectives

Junior medical officers (JMOs), graduates in their first three years of work, are an important part of the health care team. Attracting and retaining these doctors to rural areas underpins the development of the future rural workforce. This is the first national-scale study quantifying the satisfaction of JMOs located rurally compared with metropolitan areas to inform recruitment and retention.

Design

Cross-sectional multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Setting and participants

442 JMOs participating in the 2015 Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey of doctors.

Main outcome measure

Professional and non-professional satisfaction items by work location.

Result

Overall work satisfaction was around 90 per cent amongst JMOs, with small significantly lower overall satisfaction for rural JMOs in multivariate analysis (odds ratio 0.62, 95% CI 0.42 – 0.93). Rural JMOs were significantly more satisfied with their work-life balance, ability to obtain desired leave and leave at short notice, personal study time and access to leisure interests compared with metropolitan JMOs. Metropolitan JMOs were more satisfied with the supervision from specialists, the network of doctors supporting them and the opportunities for their partners and children.

Conclusion

While both metropolitan and rural JMOs are generally satisfied, many professional and personal aspects differ considerably. To attract candidates to rural areas the benefits of rural JMO work, such as leisure and leave opportunities, should be emphasized and any perceived weaknesses mitigated, by strengthening of specialist mentorship and peer networks, providing social, employment and educational opportunities for families.