离职：一项探索医疗助理离职过程、原因和潜在预防措施的定性研究。

Leaving the profession as a medical assistant: a qualitative study exploring the process, reasons and potential preventive measures.

机构信息

Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine and University hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.

出版信息

BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 Sep 24;24(1):1111. doi: 10.1186/s12913-024-11607-7.

DOI:10.1186/s12913-024-11607-7

PMID:39317932

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11423516/

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Worldwide growing shortages among health care staff are observed. This also holds true for medical assistants in Germany. Medical assistants mainly work in outpatient care and are the first point of contact for patients while performing clinical and administrative tasks. We sought to explore profession turnover among medical assistants, that is, in terms of the underlying decision-making process, the reasons for leaving the medical assistant profession and potential retention measures from the perspective of former medical assistants.

METHODS

For this qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews with 20 former medical assistants between August and November 2023. Eligible for participation were medical assistants who (i) were of legal age, (ii) completed medical assistant vocational training and ii) were formerly employed as a medical assistant, but currently employed in another profession. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and content-analyzed.

RESULTS

Former medical assistants expressed various, often interrelated reasons for leaving the profession. These were changes in priorities throughout their career (e.g., in terms of working hours and salary), a constant high workload, barriers to further training, poor career prospects, and poor interpersonal relationships particularly with supervisors, but also within the team and with patients as well as the perception of insufficient recognition by politics and society. Suggestions of former medical assistants to motivate medical assistants to stay in their profession included amongst others higher salaries, more flexible work structures, improved career prospects, and more recognition from supervisors, patients, and society.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides insights into the complex decision-making process underlying ultimate medical assistant profession turnover. In light of an already existing shortage of medical assistants, we suggest to further explore how the suggested interventions that aim at retention of working medical assistants can be implemented.

摘要

背景

全球范围内医疗保健人员短缺现象日益严重，德国的医疗助理也不例外。医疗助理主要在门诊护理中工作，在执行临床和行政任务时是患者的第一联系点。我们试图从离职医疗助理的角度探讨医疗助理的职业流动，即从决策过程、离职原因和潜在的保留措施方面进行探讨。

方法

本研究采用定性研究方法，于 2023 年 8 月至 11 月对 20 名前医疗助理进行了半结构式电话访谈。纳入标准为：（i）法定年龄；（ii）完成医疗助理职业培训；（iii）曾从事医疗助理工作，但目前从事其他职业。访谈内容进行录音、逐字记录并进行内容分析。

结果

离职的医疗助理表达了各种原因，这些原因往往相互关联。这些原因包括整个职业生涯中优先级的变化（例如工作时间和薪资）、持续的高工作量、进一步培训的障碍、职业前景不佳、以及与主管、团队成员、患者之间的人际关系不佳，同时也认为自己没有得到政治和社会的足够认可。前医疗助理提出的激励医疗助理继续从事该职业的建议包括提高薪资、工作结构更加灵活、改善职业前景、以及得到主管、患者和社会更多的认可。