Physicians’ Global Career Preferences and Professional Evaluations: Insights from a Field Study in Türkiye

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the attitudes of physicians within the current debates, whether related or unrelated, regarding their tendencies to work in public or private healthcare institutions, medical education, evaluations of medical organisations and their thoughts and preparations for working abroad. This study is a quantitative, cross-sectional survey conducted to examine the opinions and attitudes of physicians across Türkiye on the subject. To achieve this objective, the authors developed the ‘Global Career Tendencies and Medical Profession Evaluations Scale for Physicians’ to measure the attitudes of physicians, and the validity and reliability of the scale were determined. The data were collected online, with the participation of 375 physicians. Frequency and significance tests were used in the analysis of the data. As part of the Ministry of Health’s ‘White Reform’ initiatives, 54.2% of physicians were not satisfied with the improvements made in their salaries and working conditions. It was found that 47.7% of physicians expressed a desire to work abroad, but only 14.7% had made preparations for it. Additionally, 83.5% of physicians viewed the option of working in the private healthcare sector positively, although only 32.3% wanted to work in private hospitals or institutions. Furthermore, 47.7% of physicians considered their average daily workload to be excessive. The improvements brought by the White Reform have not fully met the expectations of physicians. Physicians continue to show a tendency to work abroad, and the risk of physician migration remains a concern for Türkiye. There is a need for healthcare policymakers to not only improve rights and benefits of physicians but also to develop policies aimed at reducing patient congestion in public hospitals and bringing daily workloads to a reasonable level.