Should I Wear a Suit or Scrubs Today? A Qualitative Study: The Impact of Dual Roles on the Well-being of Medical Educators.

Abstract

Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) can hold both clinical and academic roles. Literature to date has often focused on challenges on burnout, role conflict, and stress. Yet, less is known about how HCPs with dual clinical and educator roles manage these complex contexts and the implications it has on their well-being and job satisfaction. Thus, this research aimed to explore these perceptions of the impact of holding dual roles. Methods: This qualitative study was underpinned by a constructivist paradigm, which explored the experiences and stories of healthcare professionals who held both clinical and educational roles. Semi-structured interviews were utilized, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis on NVivo. Findings: Eight participants were interviewed. Based on these interviews five main themes were constructed, these were: The challenges of dual roles, professional identity, social networks and relationships and their influences, career trajectories and goals, and finally maintaining well-being while managing responsibilities. Participants viewed their dual roles positively. Supportive relationships with colleagues, students, and managers, along with institutional recognition, played a critical role in sustaining job satisfaction and well-being. Conclusions: This study offered a new insight into the experiences of healthcare professionals juggling dual roles. It highlighted the importance of adaptive mechanisms, social support, and organization acknowledgment to promote well-being and job satisfaction. The findings suggested the need for tailored interventions and policies to support and sustain workload management and professional development. Future research should include a broader spectrum of different healthcare professionals, be undertaken in diverse cultural settings, and adopt longitudinal study methods to deepen the understanding and improve support systems for those working in both clinical and academic positions.