• Joachim Erlenwein, Benedikt Kube, Dirk Boujong, Joachim Nadstawek, Michael Hüppe, Tim P Jürgens, Winfried Meißner, and Frank Petzke.
• Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Deutschland. joachim.erlenwein@med.uni-goettingen.de.
• Schmerz. 2024 Dec 4.

BackgroundPain medicine is an interdisciplinary and interprofessional field of specialisation. Due to concerns about new recruits and an aging workforce, especially among physicians, it is important to better understand professional and career pathways in pain medicine.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to record the occupational routes of people working in an institution specialised in pain medicine/pain management as well as their motivation and job satisfaction.Materials And MethodsA standardised online questionnaire was used to survey members via cooperating scientific societies and organisations.ResultsData from 398 physicians, 78 psychologists, 62 physiotherapists, three occupational therapists and 23 nursing professionals were included in the analysis. The age distribution skewed towards higher age groups, with the majority of respondents aged between 51 and 60 years. The respondents usually first came into clinical contact with pain medicine after many years of work. In the case of physicians in particular, there was a delay of almost a decade after their licence to practise. With regard to motivational factors, intrinsic aspects were rated higher than monetary ones. Work-life balance issues tended to be in the middle of the ranking. Regarding job satisfaction in pain medicine, the overall satisfaction of the respondents was high, with the lowest satisfaction ratings being given in the categories "opportunities for further career development", "additional income options" and "recognition by superiors". A significant proportion of respondents (1/3) stated that career changes were forthcoming-changes outside a pain medicine setting or in particular retirement.ConclusionsThe results emphasise the critical perspectives regarding the future provision of care for people with chronic pain. The results provide, for the first time, an insight into the career routes of staff in the field of pain medicine and their motivations and job satisfaction, which should be considered in the discussion about ensuring personnel resources in the future.© 2024. The Author(s).

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