Why Are Physicians Unwilling To Recommend Their Profession?
The American healthcare landscape has changed dramatically over the last three decades, and with it, physician attitudes toward their work have also shifted. Increasingly, physicians are expressing reluctance to recommend the profession to others - a troubling trend with implications for healthcare recruiters and sourcing specialists nationwide.
Understanding the core issues behind this sentiment is critical for those involved in physician recruitment. The following factors shed light on the challenges impacting job satisfaction and highlight why many physicians are reconsidering their long-term commitment to the profession.
Burnout: A Growing Crisis
Physician burnout remains one of the most significant drivers of negative sentiment in the medical field. According to a 2018 Medscape survey, 42% of physicians reported feeling burned out. These feelings of emotional exhaustion, detachment, and reduced efficacy directly affect not only patient care but also long-term career outlooks. For recruiters, this emphasizes the importance of sourcing candidates into environments that actively support wellness and professional balance.
Stress and Mental Health Stigma
Physicians face consistently high stress levels, often driven by the weight of life-or-death decisions, demanding schedules, and growing financial pressures. This chronic stress can contribute to depression, substance misuse, and burnout. Alarmingly, mental health stigma in medicine often prevents physicians from seeking treatment. Nearly 15% of physicians surveyed acknowledged feeling depressed, yet many don’t pursue care. Suicide rates among physicians are twice as high as the general population, making mental health support a vital recruitment consideration.
Lack of Family Time
Unpredictable schedules, long hours, and on-call responsibilities severely limit time with family. This imbalance negatively affects personal relationships and contributes to professional dissatisfaction. Candidates are increasingly prioritizing roles that support better work-life integration - a factor recruiters must address during the hiring process.
Financial Pressures and Loss of Autonomy
Physicians today face mounting financial stress. Flat salaries, declining reimbursements, and rising overheads have pushed many to join larger health systems or managed care groups. While this may offer some financial relief, it often comes at the cost of autonomy. Physicians report decreased influence over their clinical decisions and practice structures, a factor that significantly impacts overall job satisfaction.
Administrative Burdens and EHR Fatigue
Administrative tasks consume an average of eight hours per week for physicians, not including time spent entering data into electronic health records (EHRs) - an activity that can add up to six hours a day. Those spending the most time on non-clinical tasks report the lowest career satisfaction. Reducing these burdens is essential to improving retention and recruitment outcomes.
Additional Resources for Physicians and Recruiters
If you are a physician recruiter, you will our collection of tips and strategies on a variety of topics helpful as you search for the right candidate.
Or, if you are a physician who may be experiencing burnout and stress, or you have low job satisfaction, PracticeMatch may have some additional resources that can help. Our physician articles offer a variety of tips and advice on variety of topics, and you can also leverage our career resources or job search tools if you think it's time make a switch.
Originally published 5/26/2020. Article updated 4/18/2025.
With a career focused on healthcare Business Development and Service Line performance, Paul had recently been at the forefront redefining the traditional In-house Provider Recruiting role. In his position as Medical Staff Development Officer at University Hospitals, Lake Health Region in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul integrated collegial interaction, analytics, and provider experience expertise to drive a differentiated recruitment strategy.
Paul has brought that knowledge and experience to Client Sourcing at PracticeMatch. Joining PracticeMatch in 2021, Paul supports Client Sourcing’s pro-active recruiting model that generates a robust prospect pool, creates an effective and efficient recruiting experience, and identifies key metrics to ensure optimal performance for the client. Paul has a commitment to learning, development and passion for building a team of recruiting professionals to leverage their national footprint which benefits its client organizations and their candidates.
References:
Peckham, Carol. "Medscape National Physician Burnout and Depression Report 2018." Medscape, WebMD, 17 Jan. 2018, www.medscape.com/slideshow/2018-lifestyle-burnout-depression-6009235.
Kane, Leslie. "Physicians Experience Higher Suicide Rates Than Any Other Profession." Medscape, WebMD, 7 May 2018, www.medscape.com/viewarticle/896257.
Arndt, Brian G., et al. "Tethered to the EHR: Primary Care Physician Workload Assessment Using EHR Event Log Data and Time-Motion Observations." Annals of Family Medicine, vol. 15, no. 5, 2017, pp. 419–426.
