Federation of Pediatric Organizations Task Force on Women in Pediatrics II: Survey of Active Members of the Society for Pediatric Research Regarding Part-Time and Flexible Work
Article Outline
AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics, FOPO, Federation of Pediatric Organizations, SPR, Society for Pediatric Research
In 2007, the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) appointed the Second Task Force on Women in Pediatrics. One of this task force's charges was to develop recommendations on flexibility in career paths for physician scientists. Several studies have addressed career flexibility among pediatricians1, 2 and academic physicians,3, 4 but little research has addressed the experience of and issues relating to pediatric physician scientists. A 1992 survey of pediatric faculty in the United States reported that 6.7% of faculty members worked less than full time;5 however, this survey focused on sex differences in academic achievement, and faculty who worked less than full time were not included in the survey analyses. Identifying large numbers of pediatric physician scientists for research purposes is difficult; thus, we surveyed active members of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR), a large pediatric research membership organization, to obtain data to create task force recommendations. The survey inquired about members' experiences and perceptions of part-time and flexible work in pediatric research careers.
Methods
We targeted all active SPR members for the survey. Active SPR members are pediatric investigators who are actively engaged in pediatric research at the time of election to membership and younger than 50 years. We developed an 11-item survey that focused on members' interest in and experience with part-time and flexible work. Responses were both closed- and open-ended. Examples of open-ended questions included “please describe the reason you did or did not engage in part-time or reduced work hours” and “please describe any positive or negative impact of part-time or reduced work hours on your research career.” To maximize comparability with other surveys, we used the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) definition of part-time work: “part-time or reduced hours.” The term was not further defined in the AAP survey.1 The survey was distributed by e-mail along with a cover letter explaining the purpose of the survey and providing a link to an anonymous Web-based survey system. A reminder was sent 2 weeks later. The Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reviewed the research protocol and determined that it was exempt.
Means and proportions were calculated to describe the study population and quantitative responses. χ2 and Fisher exact tests were used to determine the significance of differences between groups. The open-ended responses were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach.6 The text of each response was read, and the meaning or a phrase, sentence, or paragraph was summarized into a code or label. The codes were then organized into a coding scheme by the first author. Codes were applied to the first 5 comments for each question independently by 2 of the authors. The results were compared, and the coding scheme adjusted as appropriate. In a second round of analyses, the coding scheme was applied to all comments by 2 of the authors.
Results
Overall, one-quarter of eligible members (242 of 984) responded to the survey (Table; available at www.jpeds.com). Nearly half of the survey respondents (48%) were women, a higher proportion of women than in the general SPR membership (39%); this difference was statistically significant (χ2 = 6.5; P = .01). One-third of the respondents reported a desire to work part time at some time since taking their first faculty position. Of those who reported their sex, women were more likely to desire part-time work than men (52% vs 11%; χ2 = 44.1; P < .001). Nearly half of all respondents (42%) who wished to work part time had actually worked part time at some point. Women reported higher rates of part-time work than men (44.6% vs 23.1%), but this difference was not statistically significant (χ2 = 2.1; P = .15).
The remaining results derive from the analysis of free text comments in response to the open-ended questions. The respondents who wanted to work part time but had not worked a part-time schedule (58%) reported many barriers to part-time work. The most frequently mentioned barrier was the perception of a negative impact on grant eligibility, particularly the need to be employed on a full-time basis to be eligible for certain grants, such as K awards. Workload (ie, full-time work on part-time salary and scope of responsibilities), a lack of part-time employment options, and concerns about research productivity required for promotion and tenure also were mentioned frequently. Financial barriers, lack of respect, and lack of other organizational support also were reported, but less frequently.
Thirty respondents who had worked part time during their career provided detailed information about their part-time arrangements. As part-time faculty, they worked 40% to 90% of the time, most between 60% and 80%. The specific part-time arrangements varied from shortened days to a combination of non-work days and work days; some respondents reported flexible arrangements, such as telecommuting. Seven respondents (23%) reported that they were required to change their faculty title or academic track to work part time. Some members reported that changing to part-time status had a negative impact on professional options, such as benefits, a tenure track position, type of academic appointment, and whether the appointment was viewed as “respected.”
The respondents who worked part time reported that the process required considerable paperwork and also reported institutional barriers, such as lack of support and respect from peers, division directors, and chairs. Many faculty members who had worked part time believed that their colleagues perceived them to be less committed to their careers than full-time faculty. Workload issues were the second most commonly reported barriers. Interestingly, productivity and promotion issues were more often mentioned by respondents who wished they had worked part time than by those who actually had worked part time.
Respondents reported benefits associated with part-time work, such as a positive impact on family life and improved work–life balance. Respondents who worked part time reported being happier, and many reported being more productive and focused than when they worked full time. Several commented that part-time work allowed them to maintain their research activities.
The negative impacts associated with part-time work included the heavy workload (“full-time work on a part-time salary”) and a disproportionate reduction in research time. One respondent reported being told that her part-time status made her ineligible for a leadership position. Although several respondents reported increased research productivity while employed part-time, a small number of respondents reported a decline in productivity. There were reported delays in promotion and tenure, even when criteria were met. Seven respondents reported that the change to part-time status had no impact on their careers.
Eighty-seven respondents provided additional comments on the general topic of part-time and flexible work, and the majority were supportive of part-time work. The most common concern was the perception that a successful research career is not compatible with less than full-time effort. Many reported that faculty are subjected to an excessive workload and long work hours regardless of part-time or full-time status. A few respondents raised concerns about continuity of care for the patients of part-time faculty.
Among those respondents who supported part-time work, there were frequent references to the need to expand and retain the pediatric research workforce. Generally, the respondents believed that FOPO and department chairs should develop clear and transparent definitions, policies, and best practices for part-time and flexible work.
Discussion
One-third of the SPR members who responded to our survey reported a desire to work part time, and women were more likely to desire part-time employment than men. The most common stated barrier to part-time or flexible work hours was grant eligibility. The major benefits of part-time work were a greater sense of personal well being and improved work–life balance.
Although there has been little empirical research on part-time or flexible work among academic physician scientists, our findings among pediatric researchers agree with the existing literature on academic medicine faculty.3, 4 Our respondents were supportive of part-time work, and our findings are consistent with the findings of a 2001 study of clinician educators and physician scientists at a pediatric hospital.2
Our study has several limitations. First, part-time and flexible work were very broadly defined, because we used the AAP's definition for consistency with previous work. Thus, respondents many have interpreted the term “part-time work” in varying ways. Furthermore, although the qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions provides insight into barriers and benefits of part-time work, it cannot quantify the prevalence or significance of those factors. A more detailed questionnaire, based on the issues described by our respondents, would be required to provide this quantitative information. Other limitations include the low response rate, the disproportionate response of women SPR members, our focus on a single membership organization, and the lack of objective data to validate respondents' perceptions. Consequently, the findings of this study should be considered preliminary.
In 2007, the Women Chairs of the Association of Medical School Department Chairs recommended increased options for part-time work, including increased integration of part-time faculty into administrative structures of divisions and departments.7 We agree with these recommendations and urge leaders at all levels of academic medicine and the National Institutes of Health to address institutional and personal barriers to part-time and flexible work. For physician scientists, the recently issued modifications of federal rules related to early career awards8 may be particularly important.
Table.
Participant characteristics (n = 242; 48% female)
| Mean | Median | SD | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years since first post-residency/fellowship pediatric faculty position | 11.5 | 11 | ±4.4 | 3-20 |
| Proportion of professional effort devoted to research | 54.0% | 60% | ±25.4% | 0-100% |
References
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- Pediatric faculty members' attitudes about part-time faculty positions and policies to support part-time faculty: a study at one medical center. Acad Med. 2005;80:931–939
- Relation of family responsibilities and gender to the productivity and career satisfaction of medical faculty. Ann Intern Med. 1998;129:532–538
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- . Sex differences in academic advancement: results of a national study of pediatricians. N Engl J Med. 1996;335:1282–1289
- . Qualitative Data Analysis. 2nd ed.. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1994;P. 55-65
- . Women in pediatrics: recommendations for the future. Women Chairs of the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs. Pediatrics. 2007;119:1000–1005
- National Institutes of Health. NIH policy concerning career development (K) awards: leave, temporary adjustments to percent effort, and part-time institutional appointments. Notice NOT-OD-09–036. Available from: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-09-036.html. Accessed April 20, 2009.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PII: S0022-3476(09)00626-X
doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.06.051
© 2009 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
