18 July 2017

Why senior doctors are thinking of leaving public hospitals: ASMS survey

Feelings of disillusionment, exhaustion and low morale are driving senior doctors to consider leaving New Zealand’s public hospitals much earlier than they would otherwise.

That’s one of the findings from a survey of senior doctors and dentists employed by district health boards who belong to the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS). ASMS carried out the survey last year and has now published the full report of the results online athttps://www.asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Future-intentions-of-the-New-Zealand-DHB-based-senior-medical-workforce_168309.4.pdf.

Almost a quarter (24%) of all senior doctors and dentists who took part in the survey indicated they were either unlikely or extremely unlikely to continue with some form of DHB-based employment over the next five years.

ASMS Principal Analyst Dr Charlotte Chambers says the value of this study is that it identifies the reasons why doctors are leaving and what might encourage them to stay, providing insight as to what measures need to be taken to stem the outward flow.

“We know that many senior doctors are approaching traditional retirement years,” she says.

“This study finds many of those older doctors would be more inclined to stay on longer if their working conditions improved, including being able to work more flexible hours, being adequately staffed to cope with the work pressures and having a greater say on how clinical services are provided.”

ENDS

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