Houston Posters HP01 CAREER SATISFACTION AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN ORTHODONTICS

AIMS: To investigate factors affecting career satisfaction and work-life balance in specialist orthodontists in the United Kingdom/Republic of Ireland. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: This was a prospective questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire was sent to all specialist orthodontists who were members of the British Orthodontic Society. Simple descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographics and work related information of the respondents. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the potential impact of the various factors explored in the questionnaire on career satisfaction and work-life balance. RESULTS: Orthodontists reported high levels of career satisfaction (median score 90 out of 100). Career satisfaction was significantly higher in those who showed: i) satisfaction with current working hours ii) satisfaction with the level of control over their working day iii) ability to manage unexpected home events and iv) confidence in how readily they managed patient expectations. The work-life balance score was lower than the career satisfaction score but was still relatively high with a median score of 75 out of 100. Work-life balance scores were significantly affected by the same four factors but also by satisfaction with current working patterns and were higher in those who worked part-time compared with those who worked full-time. CONCLUSION: Orthodontists in this study were highly satisfied with their career and the majority said they would choose their career again. Work-life balance scores were lower than the career satisfaction score but were still relatively high. It remains important that the profession considers certain measures in order to maintain or improve career satisfaction and work-life balance and in order to continue to recruit to the profession; this includes continuing to maintain flexibility of working hours and providing training in management of patient expectations through educational courses, continuing professional development or mentoring.