Korean J Med Educ.  2002 May;14(1):33-42.

Current Status of Subspecialists Training Programs and Factors Affecting Subspecialists' Job Selection after Training

• Kim CY
• Yim J
• Kim DJ
• Kim YI
• Shin YS

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify current status of the subspecialist training programs and related factors affecting subspecialists' job selection.
METHODS
The study subjects were 5,569 subspecialist trainees in 61 hospitals between 1989 and 1999. Among them, 1,260 subjects were selected to identify employment status after training. Also we analysed factors affecting career selection for 863 subspecialists on which basic information was available.
RESULTS
About 26.6% of all subspecialist trainees trained in 1999 was for subspecialties in internal medicine, the largest majority, and 89.3% was in metropolitan areas. Also 91.1% were trained in teaching hospitals. Among subspecialists completed training, 79.5% selected career to work at general or teaching hospitals as of 1999, but 13.5% practised at clinics. The factors affecting career selection after training were gender, ownership of medical school, and specialty.
CONCLUSION
The fact that not a few subspecialists work at primary care clinics means there are unreasonable human resource allocation and planning, with probable poor quality of primary care. Therefore, it is necessary to have a human resource plan at the national level for appropriate number of subspecialists, based on each specialty, in particular. Any structural factors affecting destination of subspecialist trainees, such as gender and graduated medical school, etc, should be dealt with in the long run.

Keyword

Subspecialist; Job selection

MeSH Terms

Education*
Employment
Hospitals, Teaching
Humans
Internal Medicine
Ownership
Primary Health Care
Resource Allocation
Schools, Medical