Assessment of Residents' Loss of Interest in Academic Careers and Identification of Correctable Factors

Abstract

Participants: Dermatology residents attending a basic science course and residency applicants applying to a single residency program. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported level of interest in an academic dermatology career, reasons for losing interest in academics, and area of desired primary academic contribution. Results: One hundred nine of 230 dermatology applicants and 130 of 190 dermatology residents completed the survey. Seventy-nine applicants (72.5%) and 48 residents (36.9%) were interested in an academic career. Thirtythree of 47 residents (70.2%) and 63 of 79 applicants (79.8%) interested in an academic career hoped to make their primary academic contribution as teacherclinicians, while only 7 residents (14.9%) and 15 applicants (19.0%) planned to primarily contribute through basic or clinical research. Thirty-eight resident respondents (29.2%) reported losing interest in academics for the following primary reasons: bureaucracy, 24 (63.2%); salary differential/financial issues, 20 (52.6%); lack of effective mentorship, role model, or professional guidance, 19 (50.0%); and location or practice environment, 10 (26.3%). Conclusions: Many residents report losing interest in pursuing a career in academic dermatology. Many reasons for this are not easy to correct. However, half of those residents primarily lose interest because of a lack of mentors, role models, and career guidance. Methods to improve this perception and experience should be sought. Strategies should also be developed to cultivate future teacher-clinicians, where most of the interest lies.

US Dermatology Residents' Satisfaction With Training and Mentoring

“…15,16 Althoughwefound an association between increased mentoring and training satisfaction,wefoundnoassociationbetweenincreasedmentoring and number of publications during residency or intention to practice academic dermatology.…”

Academia Is the Life for Me, I’m Sure

“…Like Reck et al, 6 our assessment of future academic interest among applicants has significant responder bias because the information was gathered in an open manner during the residency selection process. Furthermore, we were unable to contact all applicants and, therefore, an unidentified selection bias may be present.…”

Mentoring and role models in recruitment and retention: A study of junior medical faculty perceptions

“…Mentoring has been considered a key aspect in recruitment and retention of faculty (Benson et al 2002;Reck et al 2006;Weinert et al 2006;Wingard et al 2008) and in particular, junior faculty (Taljanovic et al 2003;Schrubbe 2004;Daley et al 2006;Kosoko-Lasaki et al 2006; Thorndyke et al 2006). Mentoring is a term defined very broadly in the literature (Rose et al 2005).…”