Physicians in these 10 specialties are less likely to quit

An exclusive survey from the AMA reveals a promising shift in the physician workforce: fewer doctors now say they intend to leave their current health care organizations within the next two years. The downward trend suggests that health systems are making meaningful progress in addressing long-standing issues such as physician burnout, work-life balance and administrative burden. While the needle is moving in the right direction, sustained effort and deeper structural changes are needed to retain and support the nation’s physicians. 

Nearly 18,000 responses from physicians across 43 states were received from more than 100 health systems and organizations who participated in the AMA Organizational Biopsy® last year. The AMA national physician comparison report—which is exclusive data to the AMA that is not published anywhere else—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 (known as “time spend”). 

The purpose of the aggregated data is to provide a national summary of organizational well-being and to serve as a comparison for other health care organizations. The results represent data from all organizations that surveyed with the AMA in 2024. 

From 2023 to 2024, 31.9% of doctors said they had a moderate interest in leaving their current jobs within the next two years, or that they would like to or definitely would leave in that time period, says the national physician comparison report. 

While that figure is down from 35.7% in 2023, intent to leave was highest among physicians who were 20 or more years out of training at 36.5%, down from 40.8%. Meanwhile, among part-time physicians, 35.7% reported intention to leave their current position, compared with 29.8% of full-time doctors. Among male physicians, 32.7% reported planning to leave, compared with 29.1% of women doctors. 

The 10 physician specialties with the lowest intent to leave were: 

• Dermatology: 19.9%.
• Infectious diseases: 23.3%.
• Pediatrics: 26.9%.
• Internal medicine: 27.7%.
• Neurology: 29.1%.
• Pathology: 28.1%.
• Hospitalist medicine: 30.1%.
• Family medicine: 30.3%.
• Emergency medicine: 30.6%.
• Obstetrics and gynecology: 30.6%.

Meanwhile, the 10 physician specialties with the highest intent to leave were: 

• Anesthesiology: 40.6%.
• Vascular surgery: 40.5%.
• Radiology: 39%.
• General surgery: 38.4%.
• Otolaryngology: 36.6%.
• Pulmonology: 36.4%.
• Cardiology: 34.8%.
• Psychiatry: 33.8%.
• Gastroenterology: 33.6%.
• Ophthalmology: 31.3%.

Explore how the AMA Health System Member Program works with health care leaders to tailor solutions that maximize support for physicians and care teams.

Among the survey respondents, 35% of physicians said they planned to cut their hours within the next 12 months, a figure that is down slightly from 35.9% in 2023 and 38.1% in 2022. 

While overall levels of intent to leave have dropped, physicians shared what would keep them in their current role. The top five resources needed for physicians to maintain their current workload were: 

• Enhanced workflow efficiency: 45.1%.
• Higher compensation: 44.3%.
• Fewer EHR hassles: 42.9%.
• Less documentation and work outside of work: 42.6%.
• Consistent staffing: 38.9%. 

Meanwhile, physicians also shared what resources they needed to stay in their current organization. Those resources were:

• Higher compensation: 57.9%.
• Enhanced workflow efficiency: 46.2%.
• Consistent staffing: 43.2%.
• Less documentation and after-hours work: 42.6%.
• Fewer EHR hassles: 42.4%.  

As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.

Between 2023 and 2024, fewer physicians are reporting an intent to leave their current organizations within two years. This may signal that health systems are stepping up to the plate and making changes to retain their current physician workforce.   

These examples from health care organizations that are part of the AMA Health System Member Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—show commitment to recruiting and retaining doctors.

1. Advocate Health aims to be the best place to care for physicians

   1. Assessing physicians’ well-being is the starting point in health care organizations’ work to reduce burnout. A critical next step is to let physicians know about the changes undertaken at the organizational level and how they were inspired by doctors’ feedback.
   2. Doing so can help doctors feel heard, respected and valued, said Suzanna Fox, MD, an ob-gyn and chief physician executive for the for the North Carolina and Georgia division of Advocate Health. Find out how the AMA assessment tools and road maps help Advocate Health focus on physician well-being through it’s “Best Place to Care” initiative.

2. Bayhealth retains doctors through community engagement

   1. The patient population that Bayhealth serves in Central Delaware is growing rapidly. But recruiting physicians can be a challenge sometimes given that Bayhealth isn’t located near any of the state’s major metropolitan areas.
   2. “Our approach is to analyze where the biggest gaps are, because the needs are many, and then aggressively try to bring folks in to fill those gaps,” John Fink, MD, MSHQS, Bayhealth’s vice president for quality and medical affairs, said. Discover how Bayhealth meets new priorities of doctors and fosters community to retain and recruit physicians.

3. CenterWell and Conviva Senior Primary Care offer ongoing learning

   1. Fostering continual learning helps grow leaders and leads to retention of physicians. Lee Epstein, DO, witnesses such progress firsthand in his associate medical directors.
   2. “These physicians showed the ability to provide excellent care for their patients. Once given the opportunity for leadership roles, they continue to provide the same level of care toward their patients and lead by example,” said Dr. Epstein, chief medical officer for Conviva Care Center in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast of Florida.
   3. Learn how two primary care organizations in Texas and Florida—CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Senior Primary Care—have invested company time and resources to offer multiple opportunities in professional growth and continuing education. 

4. Hattiesburg Clinic runs a robust onboarding academy

   1. Most health care organizations live and die by the productivity of their physicians. Still, many are slow to adopt a fundamental process that boosts physician satisfaction, according to new research.
   2. “It doesn't surprise me at all that more robust onboarding leads to higher job satisfaction,” said Rebecca W. Lauderdale, MD, an internist and a physician well-being champion at Hattiesburg Clinic. ““What does surprise me is how many organizations have a very short onboarding process or no process at all.”
   3. Find out how Hattiesburg Clinic’s Onboarding Academy for new physicians helps improve physician well-being and job satisfaction. 

5. Ochsner Health brings in the physician's voice 

   1. Ochsner Health serves many communities, not only in the New Orleans metropolitan area, but across Louisiana, coastal Mississippi, eastern Mississippi and western Alabama. One thing that keeps physicians engaged is Ochsner Health’s group practice model, which prioritizes the physician voice.
   2. “We want them to be here and take great care of patients, but we also want them to have a great experience, enjoy the work they're doing, and remain a part of the Ochsner Group Practice,” said Melissa M. Love, MA, Ochsner’s system vice president of professional staff services and the Office of Professional Well-Being.

6. Rush University System for Health focuses on the culture

   1. Rush University Medical Center has built a reputation for fostering a culture of well-being and compassion. But recent years have tested this approach, with the COVID-19 public health emergency and subsequent departure of qualified and experienced medical professionals from the field. 
   2. At a time when physician burnout and workforce shortages are pressing concerns, Rush’s ability to maintain and grow its team of exceptional doctors and other health professionals has become a model of resilience and innovation. And it starts with the culture of the team, emphasizing well-being as much as excellence, said Paul Casey, MD, senior vice president and system chief medical officer for Rush University System for Health. 

7. Sanford Health nearly doubles residency program to boost recruitment

   1. Growing up in rural Minnesota, Joshua Crabtree, MD, thought he was going to be a football coach or biology teacher. Working for an ambulance service during college steered him toward medicine instead.
   2. “It was such a thrill and something I enjoyed so much that I knew that I needed to change my career path and become a physician because I wanted to take care of people in rural areas,” said Dr. Crabtree, a family physician. “Rural health care is very important to me. It's a passion of mine. I want people to be able to have access to high-quality care without having to drive hundreds of miles.”
   3. As the chief physician at Sanford Health, his goal is to recruit and retain physicians who have the same mindset. 

8. Sutter Health grows physician leaders, cuts doctor turnover to 3% 

   1. As the threat of a doctor shortage continues in the U.S., Sutter Health has managed to drive down its physician turnover rate from 9% to 2–3% over three years while reducing burnout and saving clinical time hours. Its strategy? Creating an ecosystem that fosters a culture of learning, growing, education, leadership and curiosity-driven research.
   2. Several of its programs seek to encourage physicians to be leaders, not just locally but also at the department, hospital and system levels, creating a leadership journey for them and supporting them throughout, said Todd Smith, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon in Modesto, California, and chief physician executive for Sutter Health.

Download the 2024 AMA Joy in Medicine magazine (log into your AMA account to view) to see whether your organization is part of the prestigious group of 130 organizations across 35 states that are currently recognized for their dedication to physician well-being.

AMA STEPS Forward® open-access toolkits offer innovative strategies that allow physicians and their staff to thrive in the new health care environment. These resources can help you prevent burnout, create the organizational foundation for joy in medicine, improve practice efficiency and help physicians feel valued.

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