Academic health centers provide education in health professions and patient care, and department chairs represent a key leadership group within these organizations. This retrospective study examined the factors of age and gender and their relationship with job satisfaction and work-life balance among department chairs at academic health centers within the northeastern region of the United States. Data analysis from 101 department chairs at academic health centers showed no statistically significant differences in mean scores for overall job satisfaction or for satisfaction with work-life balance by gender. Age demonstrated a positive association with overall job satisfaction and work-life balance, as increasing age was associated with overall job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction was associated with age, not gender. Findings emphasize the need for interventions to enhance the retention and well-being of department chairs.
References
[1]
Antoine, L. (2022). Predicted Burnout from a Linear Combination of Personal and Cultural Factors for Departmental Chairs at Academic Health Centers. Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3555
[2]
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Prentice-Hall.
[3]
Bandura, A. (1991). Social Cognitive Theory of Self-Regulation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 248-287. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90022-l
[4]
Bandura, A. (2018). Toward a Psychology of Human Agency: Pathways and Reflections. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13, 130-136. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617699280
[5]
Baptiste, D., Fecher, A. M., Dolejs, S. C., Yoder, J., Schmidt, C. M., Couch, M. E. et al. (2017). Gender Differences in Academic Surgery, Work-Life Balance, and Satisfaction. Journal of Surgical Research, 218, 99-107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2017.05.075
[6]
Berglund, V., Johansson Sevä, I., & Strandh, M. (2016). Subjective Well-Being and Job Satisfaction among Self-Employed and Regular Employees: Does Personality Matter Differently? Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 28, 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2015.1115699
[7]
Bonilha, H., Hyer, M., Krug, E., Mauldin, M., Edlund, B., Martin-Harris, B. et al. (2019). An Institution-Wide Faculty Mentoring Program at an Academic Health Center with 6-Year Prospective Outcome Data. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 3, 308-315. https://doi.org/10.1017/cts.2019.412
[8]
Bowling, N. A., Eschleman, K. J., & Wang, Q. (2010). A Meta‐Analytic Examination of the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well‐Being. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83, 915-934. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317909x478557
[9]
Crawford, R. P., Barbé, T., & Randolph, J. (2023). Demographic Differences in Satisfaction and Work-Life Balance of Prelicensure Nursing Faculty. Nurse Educator, 48, 92-97. https://doi.org/10.1097/nne.0000000000001309
[10]
Denson, N., & Szelényi, K. (2022). Faculty Perceptions of Work-Life Balance: The Role of Marital/Relationship and Family Status. Higher Education, 83, 261-278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00654-8
[11]
Denson, N., Szelényi, K., & Bresonis, K. (2018). Correlates of Work-Life Balance for Faculty across Racial/Ethnic Groups. Research in Higher Education, 59, 226-247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9464-0
[12]
Dunn, S. N. (2018). Examining Work-Life Balance of Female Faculty in Chair Roles at Medical Academic Institutions: A Phenomenological Study (Paper 37). Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations.
[13]
Freeman, S., Karkouti, I. M., & Ward, K. (2020). Thriving in the Midst of Liminality: Perspectives from Department Chairs in the USA. Higher Education, 80, 895-911. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00521-6
[14]
Gabbe, S. G., Hagan Vetter, M., Nguyen, M. C., Moffatt-Bruce, S., & Fowler, J. M. (2018). Changes in the Burnout Profile of Chairs of Academic Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology over the Past 15 Years. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 219, 303.e1-303.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.06.012
[15]
Gabbe, S. G., Melville, J., Mandel, L., & Walker, E. (2002). Burnout in Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 186, 601-612. https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2002.122391
[16]
Gibbs, K. D., McGready, J., Bennett, J. C., & Griffin, K. (2014). Biomedical Science Ph.D. Career Interest Patterns by Race/Ethnicity and Gender. PLOS ONE, 9, e114736. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0114736
[17]
Girod, S. C., Fassiotto, M., Menorca, R., Etzkowitz, H., & Wren, S. M. (2017). Reasons for Faculty Departures from an Academic Medical Center: A Survey and Comparison across Faculty Lines. BMC Medical Education, 17, Article No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-016-0830-y
[18]
Hagedorn, L. S. (2000). Conceptualizing Faculty Job Satisfaction: Components, Theories, and Outcomes. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2000, 5-20. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.10501
[19]
Ip, E. J., Lindfelt, T. A., Tran, A. L., Do, A. P., & Barnett, M. J. (2020). Differences in Career Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance, and Stress by Gender in a National Survey of Pharmacy Faculty. Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 33, 415-419. https://doi.org/10.1177/0897190018815042
[20]
Luken, M., & Sammons, A. (2016). Systematic Review of Mindfulness Practice for Reducing Job Burnout. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70, 7002250020p1-7002250020p10. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2016.016956
[21]
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., Leiter, M. P., Schaufell, W. B., & Schwab, R. L. (2016). Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual (4th ed.). Mind Garden, Inc.
[22]
Nausheen, F., Agarwal, M. M., Estrada, J. J., & Atapattu, D. N. (2018). A Survey of Retaining Faculty at a New Medical School: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions. BMC Medical Education, 18, Article No. 223. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-018-1330-z
[23]
Pace, F., & Sciotto, G. (2021). Gender Differences in the Relationship between Work-Life Balance, Career Opportunities and General Health Perception. Sustainability, 14, Article No. 357. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010357
[24]
Plank-Bazinet, J. L., Heggeness, M. L., Lund, P. K., & Clayton, J. A. (2017). Women’s Careers in Biomedical Sciences: Implications for the Economy, Scientific Discovery, and Women’s Health. Journal of Women’s Health, 26, 525-529. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2016.6012
[25]
Reed, L. E. (2006). Determinants of Faculty Job Satisfaction and Potential Implications for Physician Assistant Program Personnel. The Journal of Physician Assistant Education, 17, 30-35. https://doi.org/10.1097/01367895-200617010-00005
[26]
Simmons, S. (2012). Striving for Work-Life Balance. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 112, 25, 26. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.naj.0000410173.98529.f6
[27]
Spoon, K., LaBerge, N., Wapman, K. H., Zhang, S., Morgan, A. C., Galesic, M. et al. (2023). Gender and Retention Patterns among U.S. Faculty. Science Advances, 9, eadi2205. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi2205
[28]
Szelényi, K., & Denson, N. (2019). Personal and Institutional Predictors of Work-Life Balance among Women and Men Faculty of Color. The Review of Higher Education, 43, 633-665. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2019.0113
[29]
Thrasher, G. R., Wynne, K., Baltes, B., & Bramble, R. (2022). The Intersectional Effect of Age and Gender on the Work-Life Balance of Managers. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 37, 683-696. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp-03-2021-0169
[30]
Webber, K. L., & Rogers, S. M. (2018). Gender Differences in Faculty Member Job Satisfaction: Equity Forestalled? Research in Higher Education, 59, 1105-1132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-018-9494-2
[31]
Wolf-Wendel, L. E., & Ward, K. (2006). Academic Life and Motherhood: Variations by Institutional Type. Higher Education, 52, 487-521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-005-0364-4
