WASHINGTON – July 22, 2025
Burnout rates fall, job satisfaction climbs for physicians nationwide
Physician burnout is showing encouraging signs of decline across all career stages, with job satisfaction and feelings of being valued on the rise, according to recent survey data.
Physician burnout is showing promising signs of decline, according to exclusive survey data. The analysis reveals that burnout rates have fallen among physicians at every career stage after residency or fellowship training. At the same time, measures of job satisfaction and feeling valued in the workplace are on the rise—an encouraging shift that suggests meaningful progress in efforts to support physician well-being.
What’s driving this positive trend? Health systems are implementing new strategies, from reducing administrative burdens to enhancing support services, leading to a noticeable improvement in physician morale and job satisfaction.
- Physician burnout decreased to 43.2% in 2024, down from 48.2% in 2023.
- Job satisfaction saw an increase across most career stages.
- More physicians report feeling valued by their organizations.
- Health systems are implementing various initiatives to combat burnout and boost satisfaction.
Nearly 18,000 responses from physicians across 43 states were gathered. This data comes from over 100 health systems and organizations that participated in the Organizational Biopsy® last year. The national physician comparison report reflects 2024 trends on 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.
The aggregated data aims to provide a national summary of organizational well-being and serves as a benchmark for other health care organizations. These results represent data from all organizations that surveyed with the AMA in 2024.
Efforts to reduce physician burnout are ongoing. Real-world solutions are being provided to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.
In 2024, 43.2% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. This is down from 48.2% in 2023 and 53% in 2022. Burnout rates, however, varied among physicians based on their years post-residency or fellowship training.
Burnout rates by years post-training (2024):
- 1–5 years: 39.3% (down from 46.7%)
- 6–10 years: 48.4% (down from 55.1%)
- 11–15 years: 49.4% (down from 55.3%)
- 16–20 years: 46.5% (down from 50.8%)
- 20 or more years: 38.3% (down from 41.3%)
Burnout rates by years post-training (2023 comparison):
- 1–5 years: 42.6% (down from 48.7%)
- 6–10 years: 46.3% (down from 56.9%)
- 11–15 years: 49.9% (down from 55.1%)
- 16–20 years: 50.3% (down from 56.2%)
- 20 or more years: 41.5% (down from 44.7%)
Job stress down, satisfaction up
Physicians across all levels of training also reported a drop in job stress. Job satisfaction was highest in early and late-career physicians.
For physicians five or fewer years out of training, 80.4% reported job satisfaction, up from 74.7% in 2023. Physicians with 20-plus years since residency or fellowship reported 77.3% job satisfaction, up from 72.9%. Job satisfaction rates were lowest for physicians with six to 10 years in practice, at 74.8%, up from 69.2%.
More physicians are feeling valued
In 2024, there was a boost in physicians reporting that they feel valued by their organization. Here is what the data reveals about rates of feeling valued:
- 1–5 years post-training: 57.8% (up from 50.5%)
- 6–10 years post-training: 49.9% (up from 45.2%)
- 11–15 years post-training: 51% (up from 47.1%)
- 16–20 years post-training: 53.5% (up from 49.8%)
- 20 or more years post-training: 56.7% (up from 54.6%)
Additionally, 25.4% of physicians 16 to 20 years post-training reported they were likely to leave their current practice in the next two years, down from 29.6% in 2023. For physicians with more than 20 years since residency or fellowship, this figure was 36.5%, down from 40.8%.
Resources offer innovative strategies allowing physicians and their staff to thrive. These tools can help prevent burnout, create organizational foundations for joy in medicine, improve practice efficiency, and help physicians feel valued.
Health systems are making changes
The reduction in burnout rates and rise in job satisfaction and feeling valued signal a promising trend. It highlights the impact of prioritizing well-being and shows that ongoing efforts by health systems are making a difference.
Examples from health care organizations show commitment to ongoing change to reduce burnout and improve satisfaction across all experience levels. These organizations are part of a program that provides solutions to equip leadership, physicians, and care teams.
- Two sister primary care organizations invested company time and resources to offer multiple opportunities in professional growth and continuing education. Fostering continual learning helps grow leaders and leads to physician retention. It also reduces burnout by breaking up the day and providing variety.
- Leaders from a physician-owned health system in Southern Mississippi completed an Organizational Biopsy®. While performance was better than the national average, early-career physicians experienced significantly higher burnout. The system responded with new initiatives, acknowledging the dispersed workforce and desire for social connection among physicians and staff.
- At one health system, physicians in practice for 10 to 15 years experienced the most burnout. This may be due to maturing practices, busy schedules, or increased family responsibilities. In response, the system expanded child care and elder care services, improved paid parental leave policies, and embraced augmented intelligence tools to help reduce administrative burden.
- For midcareer physicians, transparent, timely, and authentic communication remains crucial. Leaders at one health system set aside a designated hour annually for physicians and leaders to meet and get to know each other better, separate from performance reviews.
Download the 2024 magazine to see if your organization is recognized for its dedication to physician well-being. Organizations are recognized across 35 states.
