Poll: Majority of doctors say they’re overworked, considering career changes

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.