Elements Influencing Recruitment and Retention of Millennial Hospitalists Born in or after 1982: a Survey-Based Study

Amteshwar Singh; Tiffani Panek; Sean Tackett; Suchitra Paranji; Venkat Gundareddy; Regina Kauffman; Scott Wright; Gregory Bowling; Haruka Torok; Hemali Patel; Ilan Alhadeff; Masayuki Nogi; Thomas McIlraith; Thomas Robertson; Flora Kisuule

doi:10.1007/s11606-022-07680-5

Elements Influencing Recruitment and Retention of Millennial Hospitalists Born in or after 1982: a Survey-Based Study

J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Nov;37(15):3925-3930. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07680-5. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Hospital Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5200 Eastern Ave, MFL East 2nd Floor, MD, 21224, Baltimore, USA. asingh42@jhmi.edu.
² Division of Hospital Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5200 Eastern Ave, MFL East 2nd Floor, MD, 21224, Baltimore, USA.
³ Division of General Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Data Management Core, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁵ Division of Hospital Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
⁶ Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
⁷ Division of Hospital Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA.
⁸ Hospitalist Services, Team Health, Hollywood, FL, USA.
⁹ Division of Hospital Medicine, The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Hospital Medicine, Mercy Medical Group, Sacramento, CA, USA.
¹¹ Division of Academic Internal Medicine, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Hospitalist turnover is exceedingly high, placing financial burdens on hospital medicine groups (HMGs). Following training, many begin their employment in medicine as early-career hospitalists, the majority being millennials.

Objective: To understand what elements influence millennial hospitalists' recruitment and retention.

Design: We developed a survey that asked participants to rate the level of importance of 18 elements (4-point Likert scale) in their decision to choose or remain at an HMG.

Participants: The survey was electronically distributed to hospitalists born in or after 1982 across 7 HMGs in the USA.

Main measures: Elements were grouped into four major categories: culture of practice, work-life balance, financial considerations, and career advancement. We calculated the means for all 18 elements reported as important across the sample. We then calculated means by averaging elements within each category. We used unpaired t-tests to compare differences in means for categories for choosing vs. remaining at an HMG.

Key results: One hundred forty-four of 235 hospitalists (61%) responded to the survey. 49.6% were females. Culture of practice category was the most frequently rated as important for choosing (mean 96%, SD 12%) and remaining (mean 96%, SD 13%) at an HMG. The category least frequently rated as important for both choosing (mean 69%, SD 35%) and remaining (mean 76%, SD 32%) at an HMG was career advancement. There were no significant differences between respondent gender, race, or parental status and ratings of elements for choosing or remaining with HMGs.

Conclusion: Culture of practice at an HMG may be highly important in influencing millennial hospitalists' decision to choose and stay at an HMG. HMGs can implement strategies to create a millennial-friendly culture which may help improve recruitment and retention.

Keywords: Culture of practice; Hospital medicine group (HMG); Hospitalist; Millennial; Recruitment; Retention.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Employment
Female
Hospital Medicine*
Hospitalists*
Humans
Male
Surveys and Questionnaires