Original articlePhysician Satisfaction and Burnout at Different Career Stages
Section snippets
Study Population
As previously described,13 in June 2011 we selected a diverse sample of 89,831 physicians from all specialty disciplines from the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. These physicians were sent an e-mail inviting them to participate in an anonymous, voluntary study. In accordance with established survey methods,14 the 27,276 physicians who opened at least one invitation e-mail were considered to have received an invitation to participate in the study.
Study Measures
The survey included items that
Results
As previously reported,13 7288 of the 27,276 physicians who received an invitation to participate (26.3% cooperation rate) completed surveys. Participating physicians had similar demographic characteristics as the 814,022 US physicians listed in the Physician Masterfile, although participants were slightly older and further removed from medical school graduation. Early and later responders (a measure of response bias) were statistically similar with respect to age, sex, and specialty.
Of the
Discussion
In this national sample of US physicians, we identified several notable differences in the work lives, burnout, and career satisfaction of physicians by career stage. Physicians early in their career had the lowest career satisfaction, greatest rates of work-home conflicts, more difficulty resolving work-home conflicts in a manner that allowed both work and home responsibilities to be met, and greater DP. The prevalence of these issues decreased among middle career physicians and was lowest
Conclusion
Physicians face different challenges at different stages of their career. Middle career is a particularly challenging career stage characterized by high work effort, a higher prevalence of burnout, and greater career dissatisfaction regardless of sex, practice setting, and specialty. Strategies to improve the work experience of middle career physicians are needed to maintain productivity, minimize turnover, and improve patient care.
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For editorial comment, see page 1347
Dr Boone is currently with the Office of the Associate Vice President, Health Affairs, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Grant Support: Funding for this study was provided by the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Innovation Award, and the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-being.