A qualitative study on the career development path of general practitioners in the community / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To analyze the career development path and related problems of general practitioners (GPs)in the community.Methods:In October 2019, general practitioners with different positions working in Malu Town Community Health Service Center of Shanghai Jiading district were selected by typical sampling to participate in a focus group interview. Based on the saturation principle, 5 general practitioners were invited for in-depth interviews on their career development and related issues. The original data were analyzed with Colaizzi′s seven-step analysis method.Results:The career development of the general practitioners working in the community was divided into three stages start stage, experience-accumulation stage and career-differentiation stage. In the start stage (the first 0-24 months), the GPs mainly got familiar with the community health service center through community rotation. In the experience-accumulation stage (1-5 years after entering the community health service center), GPs accumulated clinical experience from outpatient clinic, ward, and being family doctor, etc; at the same time, they accumulated management experience through part-time public health management, research and education management, secondment in district health committee. In the professional differentiation stage (5 years or more after entering the community health service center), GPs may take a position of full-time management, or department head. The three respondents had confusion in certain career development stages, including confusion in clinical skills upgrading and balance between clinical and management duties.Conclusions:The study suggests that general practitioners in the entry stage need to be given timely clinical rotation as well as research and teaching training; in the career differentiation stage, it is necessary to incorporate upgrading clinical service and management capability with policy development directions and institutional development needs to promote the successful career differentiation of general practitioners.