Military Family Physicians Imposter Syndrome Study Results

Military Family Physicians Suffering from Imposter Syndrome CPT Ariel Hoffman, MD Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, GA CPT Ashley Yano, MD, PGY-III Carl R. DarnallArmy Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX LCDR Michael Arnold, MD Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD

Disclosure The views and statements in the presentation are solely from the presenters. They do not represent the opinions or positions of the Department of Defense or the United States Army or Navy. The presenters have no financial disclosures.

Introduction What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter Syndrome (IS) What Others know What Others know What I know By understanding the prevalence of IS in Family Physicians within the military we can shift our culture to increase support early on in our colleagues careers allowing for fuller realization of their earned success, professional goals, and What I know What Others know Reality What Others know professional identity.

Methods Provided survey to Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians (USAFP) members at the 2021 annual meeting. Outcomes measured were: o Prevalence of IS among military family physicians o Impact of proposed risk factors Descriptive statistics, chi-square, linear and logistic regression analyses

RESULTS Prevalence

Imposter Syndrome Imposter Syndrome 487 registered military family physicians 297 surveys completed 61% response rate 176 completed optional CIPS 82% who denied IS had at least mild IS No IS No IS Mild IS Mild IS Moderate IS

RESULTS Risk Factors

Positive CIPS N % 141 58.5 11 29.7 8 44.4 84 61.3 77 48.1 91 54.8 41 53.9 29 52.7 16 55.2 145 54.1 102 61.1 59 45.4 Variable p-value Military Status Active Duty Retired Civilian Residency Graduation < 10 years > 10 years Medical School Civilian Uniformed Service University Other Residency Status Graduates Non-graduates Rank <=O4 >=O5 Gender Female Male Race White Non-white Underrepresented in Medicine (URM, if chosen as one of races) Black Hispanic Native American Not URM (White, Asian or other) 0.007 Active duty physicians who are of lower military rank and within 10 years of graduation from residency are more likely to experience IS. 0.023 0.803 0.913 0.007 Reported gender, race, and URM does not affect likelihood of IS. 97 71.9 80 50.3 130 55.8 31 48.4 0.105 0.295 8 66.7 9 56.3 2 50.0 142 53.6 0.838

Reported failures/challenges in medical school and/or residency are more likely to both report IS at some point in their career. Predictor SE Wald df p Reported failures/challenges in medical school and/or residency 1.893 0.230 67.509 1 <0.01

Reported failures/challenges in medical school and/or residency, IS reported early in career, and current report of IS are more likely to score > 40 on the CIPS. Predictor SE Wald df p Reported failures/challenges in medical school and/or residency Imposter syndrome reported in early career Imposter syndrome reported in later career Current report of imposter syndrome 0.670 0.147 20.782 1 <0.01 0.491 0.071 1.207 0.187 0.252 0.320 6.914 0.079 14.205 1 1 1 <0.01 0.779 <0.01

The number of reported difficulties in training and the percentage of military positions in which IS was reported are linearly correlated with the CIPS Score. Predictor R2 B SE t p Percentage of reported positions with feelings of imposter syndrome Reported failures/challenges in medical school and/or residency 0.109 0.202 0.044 0.331 4.638 <0.01 0.037 2.175 1.060 0.192 2.595 0.01

Discussion IS is very prevalent among active duty, junior family physicians with a rank of O4 or less.

Discussion Gender, race, or identification as a member of URM did not correlate with experiencing IS.

Limitations o Low response rate o Self-reporting o Using Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale

Conclusion By recognizing the ubiquity of IS within military family physicians, leaders can support young physicians to mitigate the harmful effects of IS and retain realized successful physicians.

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QUESTIONS Thank you!