Australian doctors report high rates of job satisfaction

More than 80% of Australian doctors are moderately or very satisfied with their jobs, a national survey has found.

Doctors who had a good support network, whose household had a high income, and who believed that their patients had realistic expectations were most likely to report high satisfaction.

Other factors associated with professional satisfaction were being able to take time off, being younger or close to retirement, and having good self reported health.

However, the researchers noted that “the direction of causality in these relationships is unknown.”

The survey findings, published in the 3 January edition of the Medical Journal of Australia (2011;194:30-3, www.mja.com.au/public/issues/194_01_030111/joy11511_fm.html), come from an ongoing longitudinal study by researchers from Melbourne and Monash Universities that is investigating …