J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2020 Dec;31(6):622-629.

How many emergency medicine residents reselect their specialty if they could?

• Jeon BK
• Lee HM
• Cho KH
• Kim HJ
• Kim IB
• Seo BS
• Choi SJ
• Yoon YS
• Key DH
• Park SY
• Park KH
• Lee ES

Abstract

Objective
The 2019 Korean Emergency Medicine Residents Survey (KEMRS) is the first survey by the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine (KSEM) on the comprehensive satisfaction of their residents. Satisfaction is important not only for the personal well-being of the residents but also for patient safety.
Methods
A total of 622 emergency medicine residents were surveyed, using both a paper and email questionnaire from May to August of 2019. Factors related to satisfaction were analyzed.
Results
Of the responders, 66% said they would reapply for the emergency specialty and 51% said that they would reselect the same training hospital. The group of residents who said they would choose emergency medicine again felt that their expectations had been met and that they were comfortable with the choice of the specialty. They felt that the factors of satisfaction with their shift schedule and personal health played a more important role in their reselection of the training hospital than the workload.
Conclusion
The satisfaction levels of the Korean emergency residents were low. Thus, training hospitals should provide a reasonable working environment to increase their satisfaction. Also, it is important to create an environment where residents can feel rewarded and proud of the work they do.

Keyword

Satisfaction; Well-being; Patient safety; Expectation; Working environment