27 research outputs found
Factors related to work and life satisfaction of veterinary practitioners in Germany
Objectives: Veterinary practitioners’ working situation is both challenging
and changing. They have higher levels of work-related stress and suicide risk
than the general population. The proportion of women is increasing, and in
Germany especially women and employed veterinarians are reported to be less
satisfied than comparable subgroups of the general population. In this study
we identified key factors associated with work and life satisfaction among
veterinary practitioners in Germany. Design: Questionnaire-based cross-
sectional survey. Setting: All veterinary practitioners registered in Germany
in 2016. Participants: There were 2549 respondents, of whom 1930 met the
inclusion criteria for further analysis. They had a median age of 37 and the
majority of respondents were women (79.3 per cent). Almost two-thirds (63.8
per cent) worked as employed veterinarian. Primary outcomes: Importance of
different job characteristics measured in 5-point Likert items, work
satisfaction measured on a 5-point Likert item and life satisfaction measured
in 11-point Likert items. Secondary outcomes: Facets such as satisfaction with
leisure time, family life, health and standard of living, information on
working conditions such as working time, income, as well as year of birth and
other demographic data. Results: A ‘good working atmosphere’ was the most
relevant job characteristic for all veterinary practitioners. Work
satisfaction of employed practitioners is closely linked to satisfaction with
their colleagues. This link is less pronounced for self-employed
practitioners. A ‘reasonable salary’ was the second and ‘holidays and leisure
time’ was the third most important job characteristics for employed
practitioners. A ‘good working atmosphere’ and ‘family friendly arrangements’
were statistically significantly more important for women than for men, while
a ‘reasonable salary’ was more important for men. Conclusions: Our results
indicate strong associations between levels of work satisfaction and various
work-related factors in subgroups of veterinary practitioners in Germany that
reduce life satisfaction. The strength of some associations differs between
men and women, as well as between self-employed and employed veterinarians.
Outgoing students should be better prepared for the challenging working
conditions that they face in veterinary practice. Salary levels should be
improved and the working conditions adapted to the respective subgroups in
order to increase work and life satisfaction
Dialogue with the public Practical guidelines
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