Thai Physicians’ Career Satisfaction
Somkiat Wattanasirichaigoon*, Navapun Polboon**, Hansa Ruksakom**, Benjaporn Boontheaim**, Pornchai Sithisarankul**, Taweesin Visanuyothin***
Affiliation : * Faculty of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, ** Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok *** Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi
The purposes of this cross-sectional study were to collect data regarding satisfaction and influencing
factors related to satisfaction of Thai Physicians. The survey was conducted during October 2002 to March
2003. Study subjects were 440 physicians obtained by systematic random sampling. They were asked to reply
posted questionnaire and telephone interviewed later if they did not reply the mailed questionnaire.
The authors could obtain data from 380 out of 440 cases (86.3%), 60.3% were male and 39.7%
were female. Their average age was 43.9 and 37.7 years, respectively, with an overall average of 40.9 years.
The level of career satisfaction of Thai Physicians was high (60.2%), moderate (37.2%) and low (2.6%).
Conclusively the factors which influenced or predicted satisfaction of Thai physicians were age, exercise and
accident. The author make some recommendations for improving Thai physicians’ satisfaction.
Keywords : Satisfaction , Thai physician
