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many health workers thinking of career change

study findings are a warning sign about the morale and well-being of doctors and nurses.

by dave yasvinski

apr 5 2021

3 minute read

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1 in 5 healthcare workers with kids thinking about career change

those with children in particular are considering a career change getty

the unending anxiety of covid-19 has one in five employees at an academic medical institution pondering a new profession, according to a study that lays bare the toll the pandemic is taking on the present — and future — of health care.

the study, published in jama network open , found that employees with dependents at home were most affected and most likely to desire decreased hours at the office or a new line of work altogether. the findings represent a grave challenge for health care systems already stretched to the limit at current staffing levels.

“it’s sobering to learn that, during a time of economic recession, at least one-fifth of our workforce were considering leaving their jobs because of the severe levels of stress they were experiencing,” said angela fagerlin , the study’s senior author and professor and chair of the department of population health sciences at the university of utah school of medicine.

“many of these are people who have spent five to 10 years of their adult lives training to do this kind of work. yet, it’s so overwhelming and burdensome that they were potentially thinking about giving it all up.”

the findings are the result of a questionnaire sent to all 27,700 clinical and non-clinical faculty, staff and trainees at the u of u last august. eighteen per cent (or 5,030 employees) completed the survey, which assessed work-life balance, childcare needs, impact on career development and pandemic-related stress. it found that staff, across occupations and regardless of gender, were struggling to bear the burden of covid-19.

almost half of respondents said they had at least one child who was 18 years of age or younger, with 49 per cent of this group reporting rising stress due to dealing with their child’s virtual education. just under half were worried about how the pandemic might impact their career development — a figure that rose to 64 per cent among trainees. over half of faculty (55 per cent) and trainees (60 per cent) admitted to decreased productivity in the covid age and almost one-third of all respondents were interested in reducing their hours.

“we suspect these disturbing trends likely exist within other health care systems nationwide,” said rebecca delaney, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral research fellow at the u of u school of medicine. “these findings are alarming and a warning sign about the morale and well-being of doctors and nurses, as well as non-clinical health care scientists and staff.”

aside from only examining one health care system, there were other limitations to the study, researchers said, including the chance of selection bias among those employees who chose to fill out and return the questionnaire. employees with children may also have been more likely to participate but researchers are confident that improvements to work-life balance — and offering better mental and social support to workers — is the best way to ensure caregivers are still on job in the event the next pandemic rears its head.

“health care systems must develop effective ways to ensure that well-trained clinicians, support staff and non-clinical scientists are supported during this unprecedented time as well as after it,” fagerlin said. “if they do that, then health systems will be more likely to retain a diverse and effective workforce.”

dave yasvinski is a writer with   healthing.ca

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dave yasvinski

many health workers thinking of career change

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many health workers thinking of career change

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