Explaining the conceptual framework of career boundaries in medicine using Grounded Theory

Abstract

Introduction : Career boundaries are effective in all aspects of the medical profession. Since many factors can shape a junior doctor’s choice of career, the concept of career has always been the focus of medical discussions and has even been able to be used as a perspective in medical education. The aim of the present study was to provide a conceptual framework of career boundaries in the medical profession. Methods : The present study is fundamental in terms of purpose and qualitative in terms of approach. The statistical population of this study included physicians who were selected by non-random snowball sampling. The criterion for entering the sampling was their having more than five years of work experience, and the criterion for completing the sampling was the researchers’ reaching theoretical saturation: a total of 19 people participated in the study. In order to collect the data, a semi-structured interview was held, and for the analysis of the collected data, the systematic grounded theory was used. Results : The research findings indicated that the conceptual framework of career boundaries in the medical profession includes individual differences and social institutions as causal conditions, work-family boundaries, geographical boundaries, social boundaries, organizational boundaries, moral boundaries, and legal boundaries as the central phenomenon. Findings also included understanding boundaries, reviewing boundaries and crossing boundaries under strategies, educational and cultural contexts under the context conditions, macro-factors and micro-factors under the intervening conditions and future of the career, and re-planning the career and work-family balance as the consequences. Conclusion : Paying attention to the conceptual framework of boundaries can be a great help in planning, deciding, managing, and developing a career for physicians and other occupations. In addition, employed physicians, especially physicians who are at the beginning of their careers, job seekers, and university graduates can be aware of the boundaries of their careers. In addition, they become aware of the consequences of their career boundaries to make choices more openly and increase their chances of career success.