By Merin C. MacDonald | Date published: July 1, 2024

Physician Retention Focus of Department of Medicine Survey 
Results inform divisional action plans  

Physician retention is one of the most challenging problems in medicine today and turnover is a major stressor that can lead to additional burden on physicians, staff, and patients.  

Lauren Feld, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and physician executive for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the Department of Medicine is interested in understanding the root causes of retention issues and burnout, and is leading initiatives to investigate these topics in the Department of Medicine.   

“I am inspired to understand these problems on a more granular level at UMass,” said Dr. Feld. “There is a wealth of data in national surveys that show that physician retention is a problem and burnout is a problem, but there are almost no studies that show what has been done with the data, if any interventions were done, and if they worked or didn't work.” 

In the summer of 2023, a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) physician retention survey was sent to providers in the Department of Medicine. The survey included sections on retention, belonging, burnout, and demographics.  

Overall, results showed that Department of Medicine physicians experience similar stressors as their counterparts across the field of medicine, but the more detailed data that was collected will help inform the next steps on how to address these issues at the department and division level. For example, respondents who identified themselves as male reported that higher pay and decreased work hours were the top factors influencing retention decisions. Top factors for those who identified themselves as female included greater schedule flexibility, improved ability to provide high-quality and efficient patient care, decreased work hours, and improved growth and development opportunities. Understanding these differences is critical to creating meaningful action plans to address retention.  

With the data collected, Dr. Feld and Terrell Johnson, MD, assistant professor of medicine and director of diversity, inclusion, and social justice in the Department of Medicine, are now meeting with divisional leadership to create action plans tailored to each division’s specific results and unique needs. “It will be different for every division, but the hope is to say [to the chiefs], ‘these are specific, tangible things that can be helpful’ to improve retention and reduce burnout,’” said Dr. Feld. “We hope to use this tool to make an impact and improve our physicians’ quality of work and life.”