Study On Status And Influential Factors In Clinical Medical Professional's Promotion To Full Professorship In Military Medical Universities

The present study was designed to explore by descriptive analysis the demographic background of clinical medical professionals to be promoted to full professorship and to analyze by case-control study its influential factors, with an aim to improving the current system of human resource management implemented in military medical universities.1. Descriptive analytical study on the demographic background of clinical medical professionals to be promoted to full professorshipThe data of the clinical medical professionals to be promoted to full professorship used in this study were obtained from Changzheng Hospital (Second Military Medical University), Xinan Hospital, Xingqiao Hospital and Daping Hospital (Third Military Medical University from 1997 to 2003, and from Xijing Hospital, Tangdu Hospital and Qindu Hospital (Fourth Military Medical University)from 2000 to 2003.The epidemiological characters such as age, gender, educational background, academic degree conferred, training/working experiences abroad, academic paper publication, research projects and awards of scientific research were analyzed in384 clinical medical professionals to be promoted to full professorship.The results showed that of the 384 candidates to be promoted to full professorship from 1997 to 2003, the male and the female accounted respectively for 89.8% and 10.2%. With an average age of 44.4, 83.0% of them were in the age from 36 to 50. The average age of both genders decreased significantly each year from 1997 to 2003 (P<0.05). From the age of 48 in 1997, the average age decreased annually and stayed at below 44 from 2001 oaOf the 384 candidates under study, those with 3-year program or 5-year program as their first education background accounted for 33.07% and 66.93%, respectively. The proportion of the former dropped annually, while the latter increased annually. 71.1% of the candidates had Master' degree or higher degrees and 24.5% of the candidates had training or working experiences abroad. Form 1997 to 2003, the proportion of those having training or working experiencesabroad was on the annual increase.The number of academic papers published in source or core journals at home per capita increased significantly (P<0.05) and so was the number of research projects obtained at national, provincial, ministerial, PLA or collegiate levels.These findings show that the majority of the clinical medical professionals to be promoted to full professorship in military medical universities are males. Most qualified candidates are of the age from 36 to 50, which may be the result of the present promoting system for professions. The annually increasing percentage of qualified younger candidates between the ages 36 to 45 manifests the strength of talents in PLA.These findings also show that the basic education has been increasingly reinforced and the overall qualities of clinical medical professionals have been increasingly enhanced. The candidates to be promoted to full professorship inmilitary medical universities will no doubt ensure more and more high-level clinical medical professionals in PLA. However, the findings indicate that more attention should be paid to the development of their research capabilities and proficiency of foreign languages.2. Case-control study on the influential factors in clinical medical professionals' promotion to full professorshipFor case-control study, the 384 subjects under study were divided into case group of those promoted (191) and control group of those failed (193). The main factors compared between the two groups were gender, age, administrative post, years holding associate professorship, performance in current position, training/working experience abroad, the highest degree, the first educational background, academic papers published and the number of previous applications for promotion to full professorship.The results showed that the success or failure in promotion was significantly not related to the gender, years holding associate professorship and training/working experience abroad, but was significantly related in a dose and effect manner to age (OR 0.58, 0.53 and 0.06), administrative post (OR 11.4 and 1.94), first educational background (OR 2.65) and academic papers published in international journals (OR 4.10) and national source or core journals (OR 2.55, 23.25, 40.50, 33.75 and 256.50), performance in current position (OR 1.919 and 36.0), academic degrees conferred (OR 5.49,4.68,7.25) and the number of previous applications for promotion to full professorship (0.98,0.44 and 0.06).Logistic model regression analyses of all factors were conducted and OR of the five factors correlated to the promotion was 1.22 for the years holding associate...