ATTITUDES AND EXPECTATIONS OF 1995 GASTROENTEROLOGY GRADUATES ABOUT GASTROENTEROLOGY

Objective: To learn more about current attitudes and expectations of r ecent (June 1995) graduates of gastroenterology fellowship programs, w hy they chose either a private practice or academic career, and what i mpact managed care or health care reform had in their decision, Method s: Between April and June 1995, an 8-page, 35-question survey question naire was mailed to graduating fellows and returned for evaluation, Re sults: Graduates believed managed care had an impact on job availabili ty, but it was not a factor in their job choice. Forty percent of the respondents reported that finding a job was either difficult or very d ifficult. The majority of respondents (67%) are pursuing a career in p rivate practice, Most private practice physicians (PP) trained in 2-yr programs whereas academic physicians (AC) trained for the most part i n 3-yr programs, The principal criteria on which decisions regarding j ob selection were based were similar between the two groups: coworkers , geographic location, access to patient care, and ability to perform endoscopy, Respondents in PP and AC expected to work 50-70 h/wk, care for patients with similar diseases, and have ample time for family, Th ey would choose GI again as a career and believed that there is a futu re in GI, Salary expectations varied markedly between the two groups, and AC physicians were more concerned about their future financial nee ds, Twenty percent of PP physicians and 71% of AC physicians plan to p articipate in clinical research. Conclusions: Recent graduates of gast roenterology fellowship programs continue to have high expectations of their future careers. Although some had difficulty finding a job and stated that, although managed care had an impact on the job market, it had not yet become a major factor in their job selection.