Evaluation of the interest in the academic career of physicians specializing in anesthesiology.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A trend toward the lack of interest in academic careers has been observed in Medicine, including in the area of Anesthesiology. The objective of the present study was to research the interest of physicians specializing in Anesthesiology in following an academic career, as well as identify the determinant factors of this choice. METHOD The present was a prospective and cross-sectional study. A simple probabilistic sample of physicians specializing in Anesthesiology was selected and a questionnaire was sent to each participant. The answers were submitted to uni and multivariate analyses to determine the frequency of academic predisposition in the sample and to determine the independent predictive factors of academic predisposition. RESULTS A total of 155 questionnaires were analyzed (rate of response = 38.7%). Sixty-nine participants (44.5%) manifested their interest in following an academic career. The multivariate analysis identified the following as independent predictive factors of academic predisposition: attending the first year of specialization (OR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.19 - 5.38); presenting a scientific work at medical event (OR = 3.78; 95% CI = 1.84 - 7.78) and being located in the southeast region (OR = 2.66; 95% CI = 1.31 - 5.39). CONCLUSIONS A significant number of Brazilian physicians attending a specialization course demonstrated interest in following an academic career after the end of the course. In comparison with the probability of not manifesting academic predisposition, the physicians attending the first-year specialization course presented a 2.5-fold higher chance of manifesting interest in an academic career; those presenting a scientific work at a medical event had a 3.78-fold higher chance; those associated to Teaching Centers in the southeast region had a 2.66-fold higher chance of manifesting academic interest.