2010 대한응급의학회 응급의학과 전문의 총조사

Abstract

The 2010 Emergency Physician (EP) Survey of the KoreanSociety of Emergency Medicine (KSEM) was the first comprehensivesurvey of its members on their working conditions,working environment, and compensation. The surveywas conducted using a questionnaire on the web interfaceand e-mail from March to December of 2010. The subjectswere currently active EPs working in an emergency department(ED). Additional e-mails, telephone calls, and visitswere necessary in order to encourage the participation ofmembers. Out of 841 members, 394 members completedthe questionnaire. Excluding members who are currentlynot working in an ED, retired, opened a private practice asa primary physician, or unknown status, 635 (75.5%) EPswere working in 203 EDs out of a total of 465 EDs in Korea. There was a wide range of variations in ED employing EP. EP employing practices by the hospitals depended on thesize and level of ED and the region of the country. EDemployed 4.52±2.97 Eps, and 4.80±5.69 emergency residents,4.21±3.05 interns, and 26.02±16.99 nurses. Onaverage, EPs worked 17.51±5.84 days, and 7.87±3.17night shifts in a month, 228.11±57.46 hours in a month. The average pay for the hour was 33,300 KRW. Satisfaction of the EPs with their compensation was belowaverage. Important factors in selection of a workplacedepended on night-shifts, time for the family, pay, and therelationship with other specialties. On a 10 point scale, satisfactionwith their training was 6.38; the answer to selectionof the same specialty was 5.53; satisfaction with the currentemergency medical services (EMS) system was 3.85;emergency medicine in 10 years was 5.75. The adultAPGAR score was 5.05. As in the survey, members ofKSEM as a whole are working a large number of heavyduty hours, with insufficient pay. Most of them feel over burdenedand unsatisfied with their current state. They alsoshare a dim outlook on the future. In order to increase jobsatisfaction of EPs, there must be an improvement in thewelfare and working conditions. This survey was conductedin order to obtain a clear view of the current status of EPs inKorea, and in hopes of contributing to improvement of theEP status. This survey will lay a cornerstone for developmentof an EMS system in Korea.