Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

36 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Physicians see fewer recruiting offers By Kelly Gooch F ewer jobs are being offered to physicians in their final year of training in 2021 compared to previous years — likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey released May 11. e survey also suggests that female physicians are receiving more job offers during their training than their male counter- parts, but expect to earn less. Merritt Hawkins, a national physician search firm and a company of AMN Healthcare, conducted the survey of 103 final-year medical residents (59 percent male, 40 percent female) in March and April. Merritt Hawkins has conducted the survey periodically since 1991. e latest 2021 edition includes the caveat that there were fewer survey responses this year relative to previous years, partially because fewer email addresses for final-year medical residents were available this year compared to years prior. Merritt Hawkins said disrup- tions related to the pandemic may also have inhibited the number of responses. Ten survey findings: 1. Sixty-two percent of survey respondents received 26 or more recruiting offers this year, compared to 82 percent in 2019, and 86 percent in 2017. 2. irty percent of survey respondents said they received 100 or more recruiting offers, compared to 45 percent in 2019. 3. Although physicians saw fewer recruiting offers, 86 percent of residents still got 11 or more during their training. Merritt Hawkins said this shows most new physicians are still finding available jobs. 4. Seventy percent of female residents reported 26 or more recruiting offers during their training, compared to 54 percent of male residents. 5. irty-eight percent of female residents expect to earn $251,000 or more in their first practice, whereas 76 percent of male residents said the same. 6. Forty-five percent of survey respondents said they are very or somewhat concerned about COVID-19 health risks, and most (93 percent) said they are very or somewhat concerned about their ability to earn a good income. 7. Forty-five percent of respondents said they would prefer hospital employment as their first practice setting, compared to other types of settings. 8. ree percent of survey respondents strongly agreed that the pandemic had caused them to rethink their decision to go into medicine. Nearly half (49 percent) strongly disagreed. 9. Twenty-one percent of survey respondents said they would not choose medicine again if they could do over their educa- tion and training. 10. ree percent of survey respondents would prefer to prac- tice in communities of 25,000 people or fewer. n AAPA responds to medical groups' opposition of rebrand By Mackenzie Bean T he American Association of Physician Assistants re- sponded to resistance over its intent to rebrand the PA title to "physician associate" in a June 4 letter posted on its website. In the letter sent to several medical organizations, AAPA said it believes the new title "more distinctly articulates the role and responsibilities of PAs" while also "reaffirming our com- mitment to team-based patient care." The group did not say which medical organizations received the letter, though the American Medical Association and American Osteopathic Association both issued statements opposing the change the same week. The associations ar- gued that the new title could cause confusion about medical roles and undermine the importance of physician-led care. "We kept 'physician' in our title to demonstrate the value we place on our longstanding relationship with our physician col- leagues and our historic roots within the physician communi- ty," AAPA said in the letter. The association said there has never been a greater need for increased access to healthcare than there is now, noting that the PA profession emerged in response to a primary care phy- sician shortage in the mid-1960s. "We respect our relationship with your organization and the healthcare team members you represent, and we believe that our common interest — to best serve the needs of pa- tients — unites us and presents collaborative opportunities to strengthen the fabric of America's healthcare system," the group wrote. n Baptist Health rolls out mobile app to help patients navigate facilities By Jackie Drees B aptist Health will deploy an interactive mobile wayfin- ding platform to help patients navigate the Jackson- ville, Fla.-based health system, according to a June 2 news release. Baptist Health teamed up with health IT developer Go- zio Health to deploy the wayfinding platform, which pro- vides GPS-like turn-by-turn directions throughout Baptist Health's hospitals, parking garages and more than 175 out- patient locations. The navigation app lets patients find on-site resources and locations, such as restaurants and ATMs, as well as helps pa- tients access digital services like physician directories, ap- pointment scheduling and patient records. n

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