During the last decades, employment conditions has changed in an important way. Although these changes have included more flexible employment relations, it has also included higher levels of job insecurity and lack of social security. This situation has affected all groups of workers, including those in stable jobs(2) and people working in the health sector. Those changes in the labour market have particularly affected young professionals, in this sense, the current rate of youth unemployment is one of the highest reported in recent year, or the conditions in which they work are poor or informal, often working in jobs below their professional training, generating a major concern for the professional future. This situation could generate also additional stress at this stage of life, as well as frustration and demotivation.
Little information is available about working conditions and labour insertion process in young health professionals and the association with health conditions. For this, Maria Teresa Solis Soto (Alumna, Bolivia) in coordination with Leonardo Briceño (Universidad del Rosario, Colombia), and Ricardo Oyarzun (Universidad Austral de Chile) carried out a study (baseline) to evaluate the relationship between work experiences, expectations and individual characteristics with physical and mental health in newly graduated young professionals.
This study, also has the support of Universidade Federal do Paraná-Brazil, Universidad San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca- Bolivia, CIH Alumni Network, and Master in International Occupational Safety and Health. In the universities included, all students in the last year were invited to participate. For baseline study, we collected information about socioeconomic information and, lifestyle, Job expectations, History of previous working conditions, psychosocial factors (pre-employment), academic Information, health conditions.
The study ask for ethical approval in each country. International ethical research guidelines were considered at all research steps. A written informed consent form as well as a letter explaining the importance of the study were to the questionnaire. Confidentiality and voluntary participation was respected.\ Preliminary results were disseminated to inform the local universities. This information will be useful for universities and labour organizations in order to implement strategies that fit with the current and future labour market conditions taking care of the human resource for health.