Factors influencing career development and job satisfaction among anesthesia graduates: a cross-sectional study in China

Abstract

Abstract Background In addition to providing painless and comfortable treatments to patients, anesthesiologists also ensure the safety of their lives and provide emergency services during public health emergencies, natural disasters, and trauma cases. Globally, the ratio of anesthesiologists to surgeons is 1:2.9, but only 1:7.5 in China, according to a WHO survey. In addition to an urgent need to train more anesthesia professionals, China should also pay attention to their career development and job satisfaction. To identify the relevant factors affecting job satisfaction, we conducted a survey among the graduates majored in anesthesiology at the Naval Medical University. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 595 college graduates majored in anesthesiology who graduated from 1995 to 2021. It contained demographic information, career development status, a job satisfaction scale, work pressure, and turnover intention of the graduates. A multivariate logistic model was used to analyze the influencing factors of satisfaction. Results We received 318 valid questionnaires. According to the survey, 72.96% of respondents were satisfied with their current job, and the overall job satisfaction score was 3.54. According to the results of the logistic regression, age (p = 0.037), level of the medical institution (p < 0.001), and work pressure (p = 0.002) were independent variables associated with graduates' job satisfaction. Conclusion Results indicate that job satisfaction of the graduates is comparable to levels in developed countries, however, the influencing factors are different, leading to different solutions for the improvement. Age, level of the medical institution, and work pressure all play an essential role in predicting job satisfaction. More targeted approaches are needed, for instance, providing more employment guidance for newly graduated trainees, offering more training opportunities for working groups in different positions, and providing clinicians with a better evaluation method. In addition to increasing job satisfaction, these measures may also be helpful to stabilize the anesthesia workforce and improve the attractiveness of the profession.