Education abstract
British Dental Journal 203, 257 - 263 (2007)
Published online: 8 September 2007 | doi:10.1038/bdj.2007.790
Subject Categories: Career development | Dental business
Senior dental students' career intentions, work-life balance and retirement plans
F. M. J. Stewart1, J. R. Drummond2, L. Carson3 & E. D. Theaker4
- The available dental workforce may not increase in line with the rise in dentists completing undergraduate training.
- Fifty-nine percent of the cohort in this study planned to retire from full-time dentistry before the age of 60.
- Eighteen percent intended to work entirely on a private basis, with only 3% planning to work exclusively within the NHS.
- Today's dental students will give more consideration to their work-life balance when considering their career than in the past.
Abstract
Objective To gather information from senior dental students about their future career plans, with particular emphasis on work-life balance issues, their attitudes towards the NHS and retirement plans.
Method Senior dental students at the Universities of Dundee and Manchester were asked to complete a voluntary anonymous questionnaire.
Results In all 141 questionnaires were completed, 42 by students in Manchester and 114 in Dundee. On qualification nearly all surveyed intend to work full time but after five years one quarter (26%) of females intend to work part time. This is significantly (p < 0.05) different from males where nearly all (98%) intend to work full time. Although the majority (65%) intend to work in general practice signifi cant numbers (19%) wish to have a career in hospital dentistry and very few (3%) in community dentistry. Senior students seem to show no more commitment to the NHS than those in our previous study of dental school applicants. Only 3% intend to work exclusively for the NHS and 18% intend to work exclusively in the private sector. Surprising numbers had plans to retire or go part time before 60 years of age. Only 20% of the sample intended to continue working full time after the age of 60 years. The mode age that those surveyed intended to start a family was 30 years and a large majority of both sexes thought this would interrupt their professional life. More than half of the sample intend to take time out of dentistry until their children attended primary school (female 63%, male 38%) and 6% (female 6%, male 8%) until secondary school.
Conclusions Many of our fi ndings suggest that future generations of dentists may have a pattern of professional life that will have the effect of reducing their clinical commitment, although it is not possible to determine how signifi cant an effect this will have on the workforce. It may, however, be appropriate to take career intention into account when workforce planning.
- Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry, Dundee Dental School, University of Dundee
- Senior Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry, Dundee Dental School, University of Dundee
- Lecturer in Psychology, Division of Psychology, School of Social and Health Sciences, University of Abertay
- Lecturer/Specialist in Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, University of Manchester
Correspondence to: F. M. J. Stewart1 e-mail: f.m.j.stewart@dundee.ac.uk
