Recruitment of Academic Psychiatrists: Applicants’ Decision Factors

To explore factors influencing academic job seekers, the author surveyed 49 applicants for six regular faculty positions at a university and Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center in Oregon. Candidates used active inquiry (40.0%) and advertisements (35.6%) as their pri-mary search methods, applied for an average of 6.75 jobs, expected the search to take 73 months, and confined their search to specific geographical areas (75.5%). In rank order, location, academic position, teaching opportunities, and research opportunities were the most appealing factors; VA hospital setting, fringe benefits, and administrative opportu-nities had the least appeal. Most applicants were moderately satisfied with current jobs and even more satisfied with psychiatry as a career. Related studies are discussed. Three of the six positions were not filled; the author discusses barriers to successfully recruiting academic psychiatrists.