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Work–Life Balance in Academic Medicine: Narratives of Physician-Researchers and Their Mentors

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A Commentary to this article was published on 31 July 2013

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Leaders in academic medicine are often selected from the ranks of physician-researchers, whose demanding careers involve multiple professional commitments that must also be balanced with demands at home.

OBJECTIVE

To gain a more nuanced understanding of work–life balance issues from the perspective of a large and diverse group of faculty clinician-researchers and their mentors.

DESIGN

A qualitative study with semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted from 2010 to 2011, using inductive analysis and purposive sampling.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred former recipients of U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) K08 or K23 career development awards and 28 of their mentors.

APPROACH

Three researchers with graduate training in qualitative methods conducted the interviews and thematically coded verbatim transcripts.

KEY RESULTS

Five themes emerged related to work–life balance: (1) the challenge and importance of work–life balance for contemporary physician-researchers, (2) how gender roles and spousal dynamics make these issues more challenging for women, (3) the role of mentoring in this area, (4) the impact of institutional policies and practices intended to improve work–life balance, and (5) perceptions of stereotype and stigma associated with utilization of these programs.

CONCLUSIONS

In academic medicine, in contrast to other fields in which a lack of affordable childcare may be the principal challenge, barriers to work–life balance appear to be deeply rooted within professional culture. A combination of mentorship, interventions that target institutional and professional culture, and efforts to destigmatize reliance on flexibility (with regard to timing and location of work) are most likely to promote the satisfaction and success of the new generation of clinician-researchers who desire work–life balance.

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Acknowledgements

Contributors

The authors wish to thank the K-award recipients and mentors who took the time to participate in this study.

Funding/Support

This work was supported by Grant 5 R01 HL101997-04 from the National Institutes of Health to Dr. Jagsi. The funding body played no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Prior presentations

None.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 Catherine Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Erin A. Strong MS

  2. Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, Room 400S, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Rochelle De Castro MS, Dana Sambuco MPA & Reshma Jagsi MD, DPhil

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, UHB2C490, SPC 5010; 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5010, USA

    Rochelle De Castro MS, Dana Sambuco MPA & Reshma Jagsi MD, DPhil

  4. Women’s Studies Program, University of Michigan, 1122 Lane Hall, 204 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Abigail Stewart PhD

  5. Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 1012 East Hall, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Abigail Stewart PhD

  6. Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 100 Fuqua Drive, Box 90120, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Peter A. Ubel MD

  7. Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Box 90239, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Peter A. Ubel MD

  8. Biostatistics Unit, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, 8D15 North Ingalls Building, 300 North Ingalls, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Kent A. Griffith MS

Authors
  1. Erin A. Strong MS
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  2. Rochelle De Castro MS
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  3. Dana Sambuco MPA
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  4. Abigail Stewart PhD
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  5. Peter A. Ubel MD
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  7. Reshma Jagsi MD, DPhil
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Reshma Jagsi MD, DPhil.

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Strong, E.A., De Castro, R., Sambuco, D. et al. Work–Life Balance in Academic Medicine: Narratives of Physician-Researchers and Their Mentors. J GEN INTERN MED 28, 1596–1603 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-013-2521-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-013-2521-2

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