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Part-Time Physicians…Prevalent, Connected, and Satisfied

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Abstract

Objective

The health care workforce is evolving and part-time practice is increasing. The objective of this work is to determine the relationship between part-time status, workplace conditions, and physician outcomes.

Design

Minimizing error, maximizing outcome (MEMO) study surveyed generalist physicians and their patients in the upper Midwest and New York City.

Measurements and Main Results

Physician survey of stress, burnout, job satisfaction, work control, intent to leave, and organizational climate. Patient survey of satisfaction and trust. Responses compared by part-time and full-time physician status; 2-part regression analyses assessed outcomes associated with part-time status. Of 751 physicians contacted, 422 (56%) participated. Eighteen percent reported part-time status (n = 77, 31% of women, 8% of men, p < .001). Part-time physicians reported less burnout (p < .01), higher satisfaction (p < .001), and greater work control (p < .001) than full-time physicians. Intent to leave and assessments of organizational climate were similar between physician groups. A survey of 1,795 patients revealed no significant differences in satisfaction and trust between part-time and full-time physicians.

Conclusions

Part-time is a successful practice style for physicians and their patients. If favorable outcomes influence career choice, an increased demand for part-time practice is likely to occur.

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Acknowledgments

Portions of this paper were presented at Out of Chaos: The Critical Role of Generalists, 28th Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, May 11–14, 2005. Funding for this study was provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, grant number 5 R01 HS011955.

Conflict of Interest

None disclosed.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

    Hilit F. Mechaber MD

  2. Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Rachel B. Levine MD, MPH

  3. University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Linda Baier Manwell MS, Marlon P. Mundt PhD & Mark Linzer MD

Authors
  1. Hilit F. Mechaber MD
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  2. Rachel B. Levine MD, MPH
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  3. Linda Baier Manwell MS
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  4. Marlon P. Mundt PhD
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  5. Mark Linzer MD
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Consortia

for the MEMO Investigators

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hilit F. Mechaber MD.

Additional information

Other members of the MEMO investigative team include Mark Schwartz, Deborah Dowell, Perry An, and Karla Felix, New York University, NYC, NY; Julia McMurray, James Bobula, Mary Beth Plane, William Scheckler, John Frey, Jessica Sherrieb, and Jessica Grettie, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Barbara Horner-Ibler, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Ann Maguire, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Laura Paluch, Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI; Bernice Man and Anita Varkey, Rush Medical College, Chicago IL; Elizabeth Arce, Cook County Hospital, Chicago, IL; Joseph Rabatin, Brown University, Providence, RI; Elianne Riska, University of Helsinki, Finland; JudyAnn Bigby, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Thomas R. Konrad and Peggy Leatt, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Stewart Babbott, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City; and Eric Williams, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

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Mechaber, H.F., Levine, R.B., Manwell, L.B. et al. Part-Time Physicians…Prevalent, Connected, and Satisfied. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 300–303 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0514-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0514-3

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