How does it feel to be a pathologist in turkey? results of a survey on job satisfaction and perception of pathology

Objective Job satisfaction affects productivity and professional performance in many aspects; however, there is limited data regarding pathologists' job satisfaction. Hence, in this study, we aimed to evaluate surgical pathologists' job satisfaction in Turkey. Materials and methods We conducted a 59-item web-based survey questioning respondents' institutional background, history of training, continuing education status/research activities, physical conditions, professional well-being, and job satisfaction level. Likert-type and open/ close ended questions were asked and scored. The participants were also asked to complete the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form. Results Of the 321 respondents, 75% were female, the median age was 41 years (range 28-71 years), experience as a pathologist ranged between 0.12 and 44 years (mean 11.4±9.16 years). Academic pathologists, senior pathologists with ≥20 years of experience, and pathologists working at large institutions and living in developed cities expressed better physical conditions, higher satisfaction with working conditions and, therefore, higher overall job satisfaction (p 80%) thought that patients barely know what pathologists do and other physicians rarely understand the difficulty and limitations in pathology practice. 82% were happy to have chosen pathology but 45% reported to experience the feeling of being "burnt out". Conclusions Our findings suggest that younger pathologists are less satisfied with their jobs and a surgical pathologist's job satisfaction increases with the physical and technical quality of the pathology laboratory/institution, and years of experience. Pathologists seem to be aware of their important role in patient management although they think that pathology remains "invisible" to many physicians and patients.