Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education
Abstract Background Less attractive specialties in medicine are struggling to recruit and retain physicians. When properly organized and delivered, continuing medical education (CME) activities that include short courses, coaching in the workplace, and communities of practice might offer a solution...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Human Resources for Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00613-z |
| _version_ | 1818597465947897856 |
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| author | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer |
| author_facet | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer |
| author_sort | Van Anh Thi Nguyen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Less attractive specialties in medicine are struggling to recruit and retain physicians. When properly organized and delivered, continuing medical education (CME) activities that include short courses, coaching in the workplace, and communities of practice might offer a solution to this problem. This position paper discusses how educationalists can create CME activities based on the self-determination theory that increase physicians’ intrinsic motivation to work in these specialties. Main content The authors propose a set of guidelines for the design of CME activities that offer physicians meaningful training experiences within the limits of the available resources and support. First, to increase physicians’ sense of professional relatedness, educationalists must conduct a learner needs assessment, evaluate CME’s long-term outcomes in work-based settings, create social learning networks, and involve stakeholders in every step of the CME design and implementation process. Moreover, providing accessible, practical training formats and giving informative performance feedback that authentically connects to learners' working life situation increases physicians’ competence and autonomy, so that they can confidently and independently manage the situations in their practice contexts. For each guideline, application methods and instruments are proposed, making use of relevant literature and connecting to the self-determination theory. Conclusions By reducing feelings of professional isolation and reinforcing feelings of competence and autonomy in physicians, CME activities show promise as a strategy to recruit and retain physicians in less attractive specialties. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:48:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d331a5e77c4a41cab3697ac3f062387f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-4491 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T11:48:15Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Resources for Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-d331a5e77c4a41cab3697ac3f062387f2022-12-21T22:32:46ZengBMCHuman Resources for Health1478-44912021-05-0119111110.1186/s12960-021-00613-zAttracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical educationVan Anh Thi Nguyen0Karen D. Könings1Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier2Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer3Department of Medical Education and Skills Laboratory, Hanoi Medical UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversitySchool of Health Professions Education, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht UniversityAbstract Background Less attractive specialties in medicine are struggling to recruit and retain physicians. When properly organized and delivered, continuing medical education (CME) activities that include short courses, coaching in the workplace, and communities of practice might offer a solution to this problem. This position paper discusses how educationalists can create CME activities based on the self-determination theory that increase physicians’ intrinsic motivation to work in these specialties. Main content The authors propose a set of guidelines for the design of CME activities that offer physicians meaningful training experiences within the limits of the available resources and support. First, to increase physicians’ sense of professional relatedness, educationalists must conduct a learner needs assessment, evaluate CME’s long-term outcomes in work-based settings, create social learning networks, and involve stakeholders in every step of the CME design and implementation process. Moreover, providing accessible, practical training formats and giving informative performance feedback that authentically connects to learners' working life situation increases physicians’ competence and autonomy, so that they can confidently and independently manage the situations in their practice contexts. For each guideline, application methods and instruments are proposed, making use of relevant literature and connecting to the self-determination theory. Conclusions By reducing feelings of professional isolation and reinforcing feelings of competence and autonomy in physicians, CME activities show promise as a strategy to recruit and retain physicians in less attractive specialties.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00613-zGuidelinesContinuing medical educationCMEAttractionRetentionPhysicians |
| spellingShingle | Van Anh Thi Nguyen Karen D. Könings Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier Jeroen J. G. van Merriënboer Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education Human Resources for Health Guidelines Continuing medical education CME Attraction Retention Physicians |
| title | Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education |
| title_full | Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education |
| title_fullStr | Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education |
| title_short | Attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties: the role of continuing medical education |
| title_sort | attracting and retaining physicians in less attractive specialties the role of continuing medical education |
| topic | Guidelines Continuing medical education CME Attraction Retention Physicians |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00613-z |
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