These 6 physician specialties have the most burnout

These 6 physician specialties have the most burnout


And how Dayton Children's Hospital provides ongoing support to their pediatricians to tackle the issue.


By: Sara Berg, MS


In the relentless pursuit of excellence and the preservation of well-being, medical professionals stand at the forefront of modern health care. Yet behind the white coats and stethoscopes is an epidemic that requires urgent—and ongoing—attention: physician burnout.

But as the demands of the medical field continue to intensify, physicians practicing in some specialties find themselves grappling with the harrowing consequences of excessive stress, long hours and emotional exhaustion, according to an exclusive survey from the AMA.

More than 13,000 responses from physicians and nonphysician providers across 30 states were received from more than 70 health systems who participated in the AMA’s Organizational Biopsy® (PDF). The AMA benchmarking report—which is exclusive data to the AMA that is not published anywhere else—reflects 2022 trends in six key performance indicators: job satisfaction, job stress, burnout, intent to leave an organization, feeling valued by an organization and total hours spent per week on work-related activities (known as “time spend”).

The purpose of the aggregated data is to provide a national summary of organizational well-being and to serve as a comparison for other health care organizations. The results may be limited by the health systems that chose to participate. 

For the most stressful medical job in 2022, the highest percentages of burnout occurred among six physician specialties. They are:

  • Emergency medicine: 62%.
  • Hospital medicine: 59%.
  • Family medicine: 58%.
  • Pediatrics: 55%.
  • Obstetrics and gynecology: 54%.
  • Internal medicine: 52%.

Meanwhile, just 52% of pediatrician respondents reported feeling valued by their organization. The other top five specialties all fell below 50% on that metric. Only 40% of ob-gyns said they felt valued by their organization.

Relief and Solutions

At Dayton Children's Hospital , 36% of pediatricians reported burnout, which is about 20 percentage points lower than the pediatric benchmark. 

Read the full article to take a deeper dive into how this Ohio hospital has reduced burnout and improved job satisfaction among pediatricians facing different stressors now that the COVID-19 federal public health emergency has ended.

How does your health system or private practice support physician well-being to combat burnout?


Fighting physician burnout

Reducing burnout is essential to high-quality patient care and a sustainable health system. The AMA measures and responds to physician burnout, helping drive solutions and interventions.

Become a member and help the AMA tackle the key causes and provide relief for physicians. Join now.



Obasola toyin Sanni

Global Health Consultant and Health Sciences Researcher

1y

so far so good

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Cathy Carlile Turner Speaker

Best Practices for Patient Experiences, Creating Satisfaction in the Workplace, Lessening Burnout.

1y

I just talked to a 1st year med student. His fear and hoping there will be more education? It was simply “I wish I understood patients more. (Pain, etc). Early in the game and he sees where his weak link is already. I’m sure with the changes, he will succeed. I can’t wait to send this too him!

Cathy Carlile Turner Speaker

Best Practices for Patient Experiences, Creating Satisfaction in the Workplace, Lessening Burnout.

1y

Burnout is mostly called an office run by lack of empathy, lack of knowledge of being a help to the doctor, doctors not knowing what really goes on with staff/patients, paperwork not read or outdated. I have a happy team, except for one. The others treat each other kindly, are aware, check their reviews and listen to patient complaints. There’s more, but start simple and watch the changes. I rarely meet a patient who wishes for the receptionist to be kind. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. We’ve proven it! I love my docs, but bring on the other side of the bed rails is horrifying. I’m being honest, it’s hard, I’m aware. Coaches are great for those floundering, most advocates will help without breaking the bank as they’ve heard and seen both sides.

Vivien Hudson

Transforming Stress to Strength 💪 Fractional Wellbeing and Leadership l Coaching & Facilitating Performance l PI l Speaker l Trainer l Wellness Programs 🍏

1y

Burnout often causes people to leave their profession. Given the time and financial investment doctors make to achieve their qualifications, they may hang in there at all costs. When they do leave, communities lose a resource that is not easy to replace. Healthcare administrators need to address their workers' needs sooner rather than later because of the systemic problem this creates. The emotional exhaustion robs doctors of one of their most important qualities - the energy to care.

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