387 - Work-Life Integration for Women in Pediatric Emergency Medicine: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Women physicians report worse work-life integration, lower career satisfaction, and higher burnout relative to men. No studies evaluated work-life integration and career satisfaction in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM) or explored gender differences for such outcomes.

Objective:

(1) To compare the prevalence of work-life integration, career satisfaction, and burnout in women compared to men PEM physicians. (2) To identify personal and occupational factors associated with these measures to distinguish modifiable protective factors.

Design/Methods:

We distributed an electronic survey to assess work-life integration, career satisfaction, and burnout to United States and Canadian PEM physicians via Qualtrics through the American Academy of Pediatrics PEM Collaborative Research Committee Survey listserv. The study team iteratively developed the survey instrument using validated tools when available. Pilot testing was performed for external validity. We assessed career satisfaction and work-life integration with single-item measures. We utilized the definition of burnout as feelings of emotional exhaustion and/or depersonalization at least once a week on the 2-item Maslach Burnout Inventory. Descriptive analyses were performed for participant characteristics and Pearson Chi-Square was used to compare gender differences.

Results:

A total of 239 PEM physicians participated, yielding a response rate of 50% (57% women, age range 30-80 years, 91% full-time employees). Overall satisfaction with work-life integration prevalence measured 42.9% (102/238), with only 34.3% of women reporting appropriate work-life integration, compared to 55.4% of men (p=0.001). Career satisfaction prevalence was 77.8% (186/239), with 71.6% of women reporting career satisfaction, compared to 86.1% of men (p=0.008). Overall burnout prevalence was 44.5% (106/238), with 53.7% of women reporting burnout compared to 33.7% of men (p=0.002).

Conclusion(s):

Women PEM physicians have worse work-life integration, less career satisfaction, and more burnout than men. We identified several modifiable personal and occupational factors for future implementation studies that could protect against these outcomes. The PEM community should devote resources to improving gender disparities in well-being parameters.