GENDER COMPARISONS OF YOUNG PHYSICIANS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR MEDICAL-EDUCATION, PROFESSIONAL LIFE, AND PRACTICE - A FOLLOW-UP-STUDY OF JEFFERSON MEDICAL-COLLEGE GRADUATES

Purpose. To obtain information from a group of young physicians and co mpare men and women on their evaluations of selected areas of the medi cal school curriculum, their perceptions of issues related to medical practice and professional life, and their specialty choices, professio nal activities, and research productivity. Method. In 1992, a question naire was mailed to 1,076 physicians who had graduated from Jefferson Medical College between 1982 and 1986. The responses of men and women were compared using multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, t-tests, chi-square, and median test. Results. Completed questionnaire s were returned by 667 graduates (530 men and 137 women). The curricul um areas of interpersonal skills, disease prevention, medical ethics, and economics of health care were rated by both men and women as being the most important in medical training. Conversely, research methodol ogy and statistics received the lowest ratings. Women, in general, val ued psychosocial aspects of medical care higher than did men. Among th e areas of perceived problems related to practice, lack of leisure tim e received the highest ratings (as being the greatest problem) and int erpersonal interactions received the lowest ratings (as being the leas t problem) from both men and women. The men were more concerned than t he women about the areas of patient chart and documentation, malpracti ce litigation, physician oversupply, peer review, and interaction with patients. These differences remained when specialties and numbers of hours worked per week were held constant. Generally, the physicians re ported satisfaction with their professional lives, bur the men tended to be more satisfied than the women about their decisions to become ph ysicians and in their perceptions of medicine as a rewarding career. T he proportion of men employed full-time (99.4%) was significantly high er than that for women (84%). Women were more likely to practice gener al pediatrics, while men were more likely to practice surgery and surg ical subspecialties. Full-time-employed women worked fewer hours per w eek (57) than men (63), and men reported more research productivity th an women. Conclusion. The implications of the findings of numerous gen der differences are discussed regarding the issues of physician workfo rce, types of care rendered by men and women, and possible changes in the national health care system.