The world faces a global shortage healthcare professionals which threatens the quality and sustainability of health systems worldwide. This undersupply is related to globalization and migration, but is also, in many countries, related to ably a shift towards privileging work-life balance over other job characteristics.
Topics of research in this theme include: examining the push-pull factors which influence careers decisions; exploring relationships between the individual and organisational (systems and relational) factors; remote and rural workforce challenges; and how to “reach out” in terms of careers information and guidance. Our focus is not only those setting out on their careers, but also how to encourage experienced doctors to stay in clinical practice.
Studies within this theme focus on:
- individual (socio-demographic) predictors of career choice
- the relationship between career intent and career behaviour
- doctors’ experiences of the working and learning environment, and how this influences careers decisions
- developing and using stated preference models to analyse what is influential in medical careers choice
- economic modelling
Key Publications:
- Cleland JA, Johnston P, Watson V, Krucien N, Skatun D. What do UK medical students value most in their career? A discrete choice experiment. Medical Education 2017 online 14 MAR 2017, DOI: 10.1111/medu.13257
- Cleland JA, Johnston P, Watson V, Krucien N, Skatun D. What do UK doctors-in-training value in a post? A discrete choice experiment. Medical Education 2016: 50; 189-202.
- Cleland JA, Johnston P, French FH, Needham G. Associations between medical school and career preferences in Year 1 medical students in Scotland. Medical Education, 2012; 46: 473-484.
- Scanlan, G, Johnston, P, Walker, K, Skåtun, D & Cleland, J, 'Today's doctors: What do men and women value in a training post?', Medical Education, 2020: 50:4: 408-418.