Opinion Survey Regarding Practice Environment and Career Satisfaction: The 2021 POSNA Membership Survey

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare environment in North America in the 21st century is in constant flux. The practice setting for many pediatric orthopaedic surgeons continues to evolve. To better understand these shifting healthcare environmental issues, the Practice Management Committee (PMC) of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) surveyed its membership in 2021 to identify issues related to on-call practices, employment details and the wellbeing of its members.

RESULTS: In total, 419 members completed the survey with a response rate of 30%. Most surgeons take trauma call, 80.8%. Despite the inherent challenges of covering call, 92% of respondents feel that call is integral to the field of pediatric orthopaedic surgery and an important aspect of patient care that we as professionals need to continue to provide. Satisfaction with work-life balance correlated with interference with personal life, feeling valued by partners and the institution, autonomy, and feeling supported during complication.

CONCLUSION: The findings in this practice management survey of POSNA members regarding job satisfaction stressed the importance of numerous factors, with compensation not necessarily correlating to job satisfaction. While this survey did not specifically ask about burnout, strategies known to mitigate burnout (such as providing a supportive culture), are also highly correlated to job satisfaction in this survey. Therefore, it is important for individual institutions, institutional leaders, and POSNA leadership to adopt wellness strategies not only for the health of the pediatric orthopaedist, but for the well-being of our field.

KEY CONCEPTS: (1)Work-life balance correlates with interference with personal life, feeling valued by partners, autonomy and feeling supported when complications occur.(2)Job satisfaction is multifactorial with compensation not necessarily correlating to job satisfaction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5, Expert Opinion.