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We surveyed Australian adolescents and parents to test differences and congruence in perceptions of adolescent career development tasks (career planning, exploration, certainty, and world-of-work knowledge) and vocational identity. We found that, for adolescents (N = 415), career development tasks (not career exploration) explained 48% of the variance in vocational identity; for parents (N = 415), this was 38% (not world-of-work knowledge). Parent perceptions of career development tasks did not explain additional variance in adolescent vocational identity. There were moderate correlations between adolescent and parent perceptions of career development tasks and vocational identity, suggesting meaningful, but not substantial, congruence of perceptions. The findings provide useful insights into the understanding of, and relationship between, parent and adolescent perceptions of adolescent career development tasks and vocational identity, which suggest avenues for interventions with adolescents and parents.

We surveyed 355 junior doctors (first 4 years of post-university training; 69% female, mean age = 28 years) from multiple hospital and practice locations and used an online questionnaire to assess their training-related demands (academic stress, concern about training debt, and hours worked), academic burnout, and personal resources (operationalized as career calling). We tested whether training-related demands were associated with academic burnout and whether career calling moderated the association between the demands and burnout. The demands accounted for approximately one third of the variance in burnout, with all accounting for significant, unique variance. In the context of the demands, career calling was not a significant predictor, but it moderated the association between academic stress and burnout. The study identified additional ways that junior doctors can be assisted to manage these first few years of medical training after graduating from medical school.

The authors conducted two studies to develop and test a short form of the 60-item Physician Values in Practice Scale (PVIPS). The PVIPS, which draws on the theory of work adjustment for its theoretical base, measures personal values specific to medical occupations. In Study 1, 217 first- and final-year medical students completed a Web-based survey. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis reduced the original PVIPS 60 items to 30. Validity was tested by examining the interfactor correlations among and between the 60-item and 30-item subscales and by examining bivariate correlations with gender and personality. In Study 2, a second sample of 316 first-year medical students responded to the 30-item shortened form. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed 6 subscales measuring the same core values of prestige, service, autonomy, lifestyle, management, and scholarly pursuits that were assessed by the original 60-item version. (Contains 4 tables.)