An evaluation of career paths among 30 years of general internal medicine/primary care internal medicine residency graduates.

BACKGROUND Interest in primary care careers has been dwindling among medical trainees over the past decade, with poor quality of life among the perceived disadvantages. We sought to evaluate factors influencing career satisfaction among graduates of Brown's General Internal Medicine (GIM)/Primary Care residency program and assess its contribution to the primary care work force. METHODS Using an anonymous online survey, we queried GIM alumni from 1981-2012 to obtain information about demographics, job characteristics and career satisfaction measures. RESULTS Fifty-nine percent of Brown's GIM/Primary Care residency graduates practice primary care, a rate higher than most primary care track programs. Seventy-six percent of respondents were "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their current jobs. Career satisfaction correlated with self-rating of physical and emotional health and did not correlate with age, gender, income, debt burden, or practice setting. CONCLUSION Among the diverse factors associated with attaining career satisfaction, attention to personal health plays a central role.