SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Closing the Gap: Barriers and Facilitaors to Hospitalist Engagement in Academic Activities

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This survey study examined barriers and facilitators to academic engagement among hospitalists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The authors note that involvement in research, teaching, and other scholarly work may reduce burnout, yet hospitalist academic productivity remains lower than in many other specialties. Because gender inequities in academic medicine are well established, the study also explored whether perceptions differed by demographic factors.<br /><br />An anonymous Qualtrics survey was sent in June 2024 to division members. Respondents reported their current involvement in non-clinical academic activities, satisfaction with that involvement, and perceived barriers and facilitators. Responses were compared across gender, years in practice, clinical FTE, and clinical role (physician vs APP).<br /><br />Key findings showed that 53% of participants wanted to increase their academic involvement. Satisfaction differed substantially by gender: only 7% of women reported being satisfied with their level of involvement, compared with 38% of men. Lack of protected time was a common barrier, especially for junior faculty (53%) compared with those with more than five years of experience (35%). No meaningful differences were found by clinical role or clinical FTE.<br /><br />The authors conclude that protected time and manageable clinical workloads are essential for hospitalists to engage in academic work. However, workload was experienced differently by gender: men tended to view it as a facilitator of academic involvement, while women more often saw it as a barrier. The findings may partly reflect greater communication burden among women. Men were also much less likely to report a lack of mentorship as a barrier.<br /><br />The study suggests a need for improved mentorship, targeted support, and further qualitative research to better understand and address disparities in academic engagement.

Asset Subtitle

Sara Westergaard

Meta Tag

Author List Blair P. Golden, Brooke Johnson, Eduard E. Vasilevskis, Rohan Bodapati MD, Sara Westergaard, Sarah Ahrens

Category Research

Concept Hospitalist

Concept Academic Activity

Concept Protected Time

Concept Workload

Concept Mentorship

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Presenting Author Sara Westergaard

Track Other

Keywords

hospitalists

academic engagement

burnout

gender inequities

protected time

mentorship

survey study

academic productivity

clinical workload

qualitative research

Hospitalist

Academic Activity

Protected Time

Workload

Mentorship