

Work Remains, but Physician Burnout Rates Are Coming Down
Concerted efforts to improve physicians’ work lives and mental health on the heels of the pandemic appear to be making a difference.
New American Medical Association (AMA) data show that physician burnout rates have dipped below 50% for the first time in four years after reaching a peak of nearly 63% in 2021.
While the reduction in burnout to 48.2% of respondents comes as welcome news, the report explains that continued efforts are essential to address the root causes of physician burnout and ensure that doctors receive the support they need to thrive.
More than 12,400 surveys were received from physicians across 31 states and 81 health systems and organizations that took part in the survey conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. The survey measures six performance indicators, including 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.
The findings are important given the significant costs associated with physician burnout. The report notes that burnout costs the U.S. health care system $4.6 billion a year, largely due to physician turnover and reduced work hours.
3 Takeaways from the Survey Data
1. Job satisfaction is improving.
Physician job satisfaction rose to 72.1% in the latest survey compared with 68% in the 2022 poll. The report also provides insights into variations across gender, physician specialty and years in practice; those results will be released later by AMA.
2. More physicians feel valued.
The percentage of physicians who felt valued by their organizations also rose to 50.4% in 2023 compared with 46.3% in 2022. Meanwhile, 16% did not feel valued at all by their organization, which is a drop from 18%. This is a key finding for many health systems concerned about retention, the report notes.
3. Job stress is down but concerns remain.
Reports of substantial job stress improved from 55.6% in 2022 to 50.7% in 2023, but one in four respondents cited a lack of physicians and support staff in their organizations, and 12.7% raised concerns about excessive administrative tasks.