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Most doctors report feeling overworked and are considering a change in career, according to a new poll.
Doximity, a virtual network for physicians, found that 81% doctors surveyed last fall said they felt overworked—a slight decline from 86% who reported burnout in 2022 but still up from 73% in 2021. Meanwhile, about three in five doctors said they were considering early retirement (30%), looking for another employer (15%), or leaving the profession altogether (14%), the poll found.
The findings, released this week, come amid reports of rising rates of physician burnout and dissatisfaction since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The findings
Specifically, Doximity found that women physicians were more likely than their male counterparts to report feeling overworked—89% compared to 77%, respectively.
Younger doctors—especially those age 29 and under—also reported higher rates of burnout (89%) than their older colleagues, according to the poll.
Feelings of being overworked also varied by specialty and practice model. The survey found that 88% of primary care physicians reported burnout, compared with 79% of surgeons and 79% of nonsurgical specialists.
Cardiology specialists were the most likely to report feeling overworked (93%), followed by neurology specialists (91%), and pediatric primary care physicians (90%), the poll found. Meanwhile, neurosurgeons (69%) and orthopedic surgeons (72%) were least likely to report burnout.
Doximity surveyed 2,600+ physicians in October and November 2023.