Among Physicians, 59% Would Not Recommend a Medical Career

Percentage of practicing physicians who would not recommend a medical career to a young person, according to Filling The Void: 2013 Physician Outlook Practice Trends, a national physician practice survey conducted by health-care staffing firm Jackson Healthcare.⁶ “Physician discontent appears to be creating a void in the health-care field,” with dissatisfaction and burnout leading to early retirement, the report stated. Discontent is driven by decreased autonomy, decreased reimbursement, administrative and regulatory distractions, corporatization of medicine, and fear of litigation, according to the report. Thirty-six percent of the respondents reported a generally negative outlook about their career, compared with only 16% who had a generally favorable outlook.

Larry Beresford is a freelance writer in San Francisco.

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