Introduction:

Human resources are the pillars of the health system, requiring people who are talented and committed, and optimal working conditions to meet the health needs of the population. Anesthetists are an essential component of this resource.

Objective:

To describe the sociodemographic, academic and work characteristics, and the level of satisfaction, of Colombian anesthetists.

Materials and methods:

Cross-sectional observational study in a non-probabilistic sample. An online structured questionnaire was constructed to evaluate sociodemographic, academic and work characteristics of Colombian anesthetists.

Results:

A total of 702 anesthetist answered at least part of the survey. Of them, 70% were male, the average age was 45 ± 11 years, and 62% were married. Most of the anesthetists had graduated from public universities (47%), and stated that they would specialize again in anesthesiology (89%). Most commonly, anesthetists were self-employed (47%), while the payment for hour worked was the most usual form of compensation (50%). Of the respondents, 67% worked shifts of 12 or more hours, and 75% worked 200h/month. For 74% of anesthetists, hourly fees ranged between USD$18.23 and $27.34, while monthly income ranged between USD$ 3,645.13 and $5,467.69 in 33%.

Conclusions:

There is significant work overload among Colombian anesthetists. The level of satisfaction with the practice of the specialty is high; however, the level of satisfaction with the hiring and compensation systems is low.

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