Relationship between career anchors, choosing specialty, and life satisfaction among female physicians

With the increase in the number of female physicians in Japan, breaks in their career associated with life events have become more apparent. Based on Schein‟s conceptual theory of career anchors, this study examined the relationship between career anchors, choosing specialty, and life satisfaction among female physicians who had worked in rural practice. A career anchor questionnaire was distributed to 100 female physicians who had graduated from Jichi Medical University (JMU) and worked in rural practice. They were asked to choose their most important career anchor from eight anchors. Changes in the level of importance of “career development,” “work-life balance,” “worthwhile work,” and “human relations” was evaluated from 1 to 5 at present in comparison with 3 during their medical school days. A visual analog scale (VAS) score was used to measure their level of current satisfaction. The response rate was 60%. “Lifestyle” was the most important career anchor (62% of respondents), followed by “Service and Dedication to a Cause” and “Technical and Functional Competence.” The importance of “work-life balance” and “human relations” had increased compared with what it was during their medical school days. Although the VAS score was relatively high, statistically significant differences were found regarding career anchors and changes in motives from their medical school days. Concerning the main career anchor, the VAS score was not significantly different between those who selected “Lifestyle” and those who did not. However, the importance of “career development” was significantly lower in the group that listed “Lifestyle” as their most important career anchor compared with other groups. Regarding the reason for choosing specialty, the VAS score of those who selected “work-life balance” was relatively low compared with those who selected “I like it.” Female physicians who graduated from JMU tend to consider work-life balance when choosing the most suitable specialty. In order to improve female physicians‟ life satisfaction and enable them to continue their work, providing them with a support system that can help them maintain their lifestyle is important.