Hands on

OBJECTIVE To determine whether there is a relationship in family medicine between higher overall job satisfaction and doing a wider range of procedures.

DESIGN Secondary analysis of a population survey (mailed questionnaire) using multiple regression analysis.

SETTING Canadian family practices.

PARTICIPANTS Family physicians who responded to the 2001 National Family Physician Workforce Survey conducted by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and whose main practice settings were private offices or clinics, community clinics, community health centres, or academic family medicine teaching units.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Family physicians’ overall job satisfaction. The predictor variable was range of procedures performed, defined as the variety of procedures done by family physicians. Eight potential confounding variables were examined: age; sex; solo versus group practice; population served by practice (urban, semiurban, rural); number of medical services offered; teaching (yes, no); constraints to medical care services; and the balance of physicians’ personal and professional commitments.

RESULTS Of 19 762 physicians who responded to the question on job satisfaction, 15.8% were dissatisfied, 54.3% were moderately satisfied, and 29.8% were very satisfied overall. In multiple regression analysis, when controlling for confounding variables, the range of procedures done by family physicians was significantly associated with overall job satisfaction (P = .0001). The larger the range of procedures, the more satisfied the physician. The percentage of those very satisfied ranged from 28.1% for family physicians who did only a few procedures (0 to 4) to 33.5% for those who did 10 or more procedures. Greater satisfaction was reported by very young and very old male physicians, those in solo practice, rural physicians, teachers, those who had fewer constraints to medical care services, and those who thought their balance of personal and professional commitments was about right.

CONCLUSION Family physicians might improve their overall job satisfaction by increasing the range of procedures they do. This modest association has not been described previously.