Career satisfaction of Malaysian dentists with expanded roles at a specialist clinic

Ab Malek, Azizi and Mohd Radzi, Nawwal Alwani and Che Musa, Muhd Firdaus (2023) Career satisfaction of Malaysian dentists with expanded roles at a specialist clinic. International Dental Journal, 73 (4). pp. 574-579. ISSN 0020-6539 E-ISSN 1875-595X

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Abstract

Objectives: Public dentists interested in postgraduate studies were required to complete clinical attachments at the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) Dental Specialist Clinic (DSC). This cross-sectional quantitative study aimed to explore career satisfaction (CS) and barriers perceived by Malaysian dentists at Malaysia's MOH DSC. Methods: A total of 208 dentists from DSC nationwide completed an online questionnaire in June 2022. Demographic data and information on dentists’ expanded roles were retrieved. Responses on dentists’ satisfaction and perceived barriers were collected using a 5-point ordinal scale. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare the mean rank differences for CS. Factors influencing CS were analysed using multiple logistic regression (MLR) (P < .05). Results: The mean age of the respondents was 32.68 ± 2.48 years. Almost half (49.0%) of the respondents were attached to a non–hospital-based clinic. The majority (72.0%) of them were permanently attached to the DSC. About half of the dentists (51.0%) strongly agreed that they received no financial incentives for their expanded role at the MOH DSC. Dentists attached at a non–hospital-based clinic (P = .046), working with more than 15 years of experience (P = .013), and having 12 to 18 months’ duration of attachment (P = .014) were more satisfied. MLR analysis revealed that non-Malay respondents (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; P = .035) and those who applied for scholarships more than 3 times (OR, 1.85; P = .050) were more satisfied. In contrast, more than 19 months at the DSC decreased CS (OR, 0.44; P = .029). Conclusions: Despite having a similar organisational structure, DSC dentists had different satisfaction levels. Dentists’ ethnicity, duration of attachment, and frequency of applying for scholarships influenced their CS. Future career advancement plans in the MOH should consider these important influencing factors to ensure the delivery of quality health care from their personnel.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Additional Information:	6503/106190
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Expanded roles, Barriers perceived, Career satisfaction
Subjects:	R Medicine > RK Dentistry
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Dentistry Kulliyyah of Dentistry > Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health
Depositing User:	Dr Muhd Firdaus bin Che Musa
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 12:40
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 12:40
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/106190

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• Career satisfaction of Malaysian dentists with expanded roles at a specialist clinic. (deposited 10 Feb 2023 16:31)
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