Personal Values are Key to Physicians' Job Satisfaction

Physicians who are involved in training the next generation of doctors, or who view benevolence as a guiding principle in their lives have greater job satisfaction, according to a survey of more than a thousand family physicians. Results of the survey are reported in the March 2000 issue of the Archives of Family Medicine.

Clare Guse, MS, Biostatistician in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, conducted the research with B. Clair Eliason, MD, and Mark S. Gottlieb, PhD. Guse is part of the Medical College's Center for Practice-Based Research.

The sample of 1,200 physicians was randomly surveyed about personal values, practice satisfaction, breadth of practice, demographics, teaching involvement, the payor mix of the practice and other factors. Family physicians rated the benevolence value type (motivation to help those close to you) highest of the 10 value types they were asked about. The ratings of the benevolence value type were positively associated with practice satisfaction. In addition, the physicians who were involved in teaching medical trainees were more satisfied than those who were not involved.

"Ultimately, greater job satisfaction means reduced physician burn-out and could result in improved medical care," Guse says.

In a previous study, the authors had found that in a group of exemplary physicians, those who were motivated to serve and help others were more satisfied with their work. Their most recent study shows that family physicians who rate the universalism values highly are more likely to provide charity care to the uninsured indigent. Universalism values are characterized by a motivation to enhance and protect all people.

The primary goal of the research was to study the association between personal values and job satisfaction. But an additional, secondary finding, relates to physicians who care for "underserved" patients. The underserved (defined by this study as Medicare, Medicaid and indigent patients) comprised 40% or more of the practice of about half of the family physicians surveyed.

When other factors were controlled for, tradition (desire to maintain customs of culture and religion) was the only value type significantly associated with service to the underserved. The traditional value type is represented by personal values that include "humble," "accepting my portion in life," "devout," "respect for tradition" and "moderate." Family physicians whose practice includes 30% or more indigent patients rated the universalism value type significantly higher than other family physicians.

The self-direction value type was the second highest rated value type in the Study. This indicates that physicians value their ability to choose and be independent. Those family physicians who rated the values of self-direction highest were somewhat less satisfied with their practice of medicine, probably due to increasing outside forces that have imposed limitations on physicians' decision-making.

"Further research needs to be done to disentangle the interactions between personal values, job satisfaction and service to the indigent," Guse says. "But practicing physicians who are dissatisfied with their work may benefit by identifying values that are important to them and looking for positions that will allow them to follow those values. It may also behoove them to become more involved in providing leadership at all levels within health care organizations and thereby have a hand in shaping the environment in which they work."

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