Only 65% of physicians report being satisfied or very satisfied with their profession, according to a 2024 survey from Health eCareers.
The Health eCareers report, based on a survey conducted in October 2023, included responses from 503 healthcare professionals, 54% of whom were physicians or surgeons.
Here are 12 more major statistics shaping the physician employment and recruitment landscape:
1. Of those surveyed, 19% of physicians and surgeons indicated plans to leave their profession within the next year.
2. How often physicians experience burnout
- 2%: Never
- 20%: Rarely
- 45%: Sometimes
- 28%: Often
- 5%: Always
3. All healthcare professionals are experiencing a rise in workplace violence. According to the report, 12% of surveyed physicians have encountered workplace violence, a significant yet lesser figure compared with 40% among nurses.
5. Burnout is prompting earlier retirements. According to Medscape's "Physicians Eye Retirement 2023 Report," 28% of physicians considering retirement plan to retire in their mid- to late 60s. Burnout remains a key factor, with 74% of surveyed physicians citing it as a reason for sticking to their targeted retirement age.
6. Over 2021 and 2022, 40% of physicians polled in a survey from the American Medical Association said they were interested in leaving their current organization within two years.
7. Physicians in hospital-led settings are particularly unhappy with their employment. Physicians employed in hospital-owned practices are nearly three times more likely to report dissatisfaction than their peers in physician-owned practices, according to Bain & Co.'s Frontline of Healthcare Survey.
4. The Bain & Co. report also highlighted that nearly 25% of physicians in health system-led organizations are debating a change in employers, compared to 14% in physician-led practices.
8. Additionally, 78% of physicians in physician-led practices reported effective organizational processes and workflows, compared to 59% in hospital-led organizations.
9. Only about 60% of hospital-employed physicians expressed satisfaction with leadership alignment.
10. In physician-led organizations, 81% of physicians reported satisfaction with their involvement in strategic decision-making, compared to just 50% in hospital-led practices.
11. Medicus' 2023 "Physician Practice Preference and Relocation Survey" found that 29% of surveyed physicians cite compensation as their primary reason for seeking new job opportunities.
12. Practice ownership and governance models are increasingly influencing early-career physicians to leave their first job, according to Jackson Physician Search's "Early-Career Physician Recruiting and Retention Playbook."