Results of the 2014–2015 Canadian Society of Nephrology workforce survey

BACKGROUND: Nephrology was previously identified as a subspecialty with few Canadian employment opportunities, and in recent years, fewer trainees are choosing nephrology. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to better understand the current Canadian adult nephrology workforce and the expected workforce trends over the next 5 years. DESIGN: This is an online self-administered survey. SETTING: This study is set in Canada. SURVEY PARTICIPANTS: Survey participants are Canadian adult nephrologists, including self-identified division heads. MEASUREMENTS: The measurements of this study are demographics, training, current practice characteristics, work hours, and projected workforce needs. METHODS: Survey questions were based on previous workforce surveys. Ethics approval was obtained through the University of Saskatchewan. The survey was piloted in both English and French and modified based on the feedback to ensure that responses accurately reflected the information desired. It was circulated to all identified Canadian nephrologists via an anonymous e-mail link for self-administration. Categorical data was aggregated, and free-text answers were thematically analyzed. Additional descriptive analysis was conducted by all authors. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety-two Canadian nephrologists were contacted and 48 % responded, with representation from all Canadian provinces. One third of the respondents were female, and the largest age cohort was 41–50 years. Most nephrologists are trained in Canada and 61 % completed additional training. The majority of the respondents (69.1 %) began working as a nephrologist immediately upon completion of fellowship training. Younger nephrologists reported more challenges in finding a job. Eighty percent of responding nephrologists were satisfied with their current work hours, 13.1 % will reduce work hours within 3 years, an additional 8.2 % will reduce work hours within 5 years, and a further 14.2 % will reduce work hours within 10 years. Nephrology division heads forecasted the number of clinical and academic nephrologists needed for the next 3 and 5 years. LIMITATIONS: The response rate was 48 %. Forecasted workforce needs are not indicative of guaranteed future positions. CONCLUSIONS: This Canadian Society of Nephrology workforce survey demonstrated the current workforce demographics, individual nephrologist future workforce plans, and projected nephrology division requirements for the next 3 and 5 years. Further work will need to be done to refine Canadian nephrology workforce planning with the development of a robust strategy that encompasses both societal and nephrologists’ needs with the realities of employment. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40697-016-0117-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.