Contrary to the national average: Witten/Herdecke University is producing more doctors who go on to open their own practices and take on leadership roles

Fewer and fewer doctors are choosing to set up their own practices. At the same time, the need for strong outpatient care is growing.

A recent alumni tracking study by the Office of Student Affairs for medicine at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) now paints a completely different picture for its own graduates: contrary to the nationwide trend, they are significantly more likely to choose to set up their own practice.
For years, UW/H has focused on providing its students in the field of medicine with early practical experience and consistent involvement in outpatient care – an approach that is clearly paying off.

The study analysed the careers of 333 doctors who graduated between 1999 and 2008. The results were compared with nationwide data from the German Medical Association’s physician statistics.

The differences are clear

49.7 per cent of UW/H graduates work in outpatient care, 41.1 per cent of whom run their own practice. This stands in stark contrast to the national average, which stands at just 24.4 per cent.

Differences are also evident in inpatient care in hospitals. UW/H graduates are more likely to hold senior positions – such as chief physicians or hospital directors.

At the same time, UW/H graduates are more likely to remain in their profession: only 2.9 per cent are no longer working in healthcare – significantly fewer than the national average.

New method for measuring regional ties

In addition to career paths, the research team also analysed the geographical distribution of places of work. This was based on a geographic information system, which was used to develop a method for measuring the so-called ‘stickiness effect’. This effect describes the tendency of graduates to take up employment near their place of training after graduation.

The results show a significantly higher concentration of graduates in the immediate vicinity of the university. Within a radius of six kilometres, this concentration is 207 times higher than would be statistically expected. The effect remains clearly discernible up to a distance of around 30 kilometres. For the first time, this method enables a high-resolution analysis of doctors’ regional ties. It thus provides a basis for systematically investigating the impact of training locations on future healthcare provision structures.

Further information: Clickhere for the publication by Robin Herbrechter et al.:‘Where do our students go? A blueprint for quantifying the local retention effect and its reach by tracking the career paths of medical students’ | Publisso