Work, career satisfaction, and the position of general internists in the south of Spain.

Background: A progressive dissatisfaction has been noted among many internists, and the future of the specialty represents a matter of concern. The objectives of this study were to analyze career satisfaction among 182 internists from 34 hospitals in the south of Spain and to assess the opinion of 47 other health care professionals who frequently interact with internists on the present and future role of the specialty.

Methods: Ours was a multi-institutional, cross-sectional survey of internists that focused on demographics/practice characteristics, education/research, career satisfaction, and opinions regarding the future of internal medicine.