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Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Desjardins, C; St Clair, EW; Ehrenberg, RG
Published in: Arthritis Rheum
December 2010

OBJECTIVE: To assess the workforce and workplace in rheumatology, and the research work of early-career rheumatologists. METHODS: Early-career rheumatologists were defined as practicing physicians who joined the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1991-2005, were 49 years of age or younger when they joined, and reside in North America. This cohort participated in a Web-based survey distributed by the ACR. A total of 247 surveys (21.2% response) were used for this analysis. Survey questions were designed to obtain core insights about the workforce, workplace, research activities, funding, and the demographic profile of respondents. RESULTS: Respondents from all workplaces-clinical, academic, federal, and industry-engaged in clinical care, teaching, administration, and research. The time devoted to these tasks was employer dependent, and workplaces shaped the scale and scope of research. Patient-oriented research was predominant across all workplaces. Disease, population, and translational research were intermediate, and few respondents pursued basic or prevention-oriented research in any type of workplace. Rheumatologists obtained extramural funds (21.3%) and intramural funds (78.7%) to pay portions of their salaries for time spent on research. Receiving a National Institutes of Health K08/K23 award was associated with receipt of a federal research project grant (P < 0.001). Respondents associated investigative work with reduced earnings, a perception validated by an estimated drop in pre-tax annual earnings of 2.3% for each half-day/week dedicated to research (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this study justify interventions for closing gaps embedded in investigational rheumatology. These include improved funding for clinical research, increasing the number of K08/K23 awards, and recruiting rheumatologists from underrepresented demographic groups.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Arthritis Rheum

DOI

EISSN

1529-0131

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

62

Issue

12

Start / End Page

3528 / 3536

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Workplace
  • Salaries and Fringe Benefits
  • Rheumatology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Physicians
  • Medicine
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fellowships and Scholarships
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Desjardins, C., St Clair, E. W., & Ehrenberg, R. G. (2010). Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers. Arthritis Rheum, 62(12), 3528–3536. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.27721
Desjardins, Claude, E William St Clair, and Ronald G. Ehrenberg. “Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers.Arthritis Rheum 62, no. 12 (December 2010): 3528–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.27721.
Desjardins C, St Clair EW, Ehrenberg RG. Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Dec;62(12):3528–36.
Desjardins, Claude, et al. “Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers.Arthritis Rheum, vol. 62, no. 12, Dec. 2010, pp. 3528–36. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/art.27721.
Desjardins C, St Clair EW, Ehrenberg RG. Analysis of the workforce and workplace for rheumatology and the research activities of rheumatologists early in their careers. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Dec;62(12):3528–3536.
Journal cover image

Published In

Arthritis Rheum

DOI

EISSN

1529-0131

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

62

Issue

12

Start / End Page

3528 / 3536

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Workplace
  • Salaries and Fringe Benefits
  • Rheumatology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Physicians
  • Medicine
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Fellowships and Scholarships