U.S. physician burnout hits lowest rate since COVID-19

After years marked by stress, exhaustion and unprecedented pressure, physicians appear to be breathing a little more easily. Physician burnout rates have dropped below 45%, reaching the lowest level since before the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to exclusive survey data from the AMA. This is a promising sign that efforts to improve physician well-being are gaining traction.

Yet even amid this hopeful development, health care leaders caution against declaring victory prematurely. While physician burnout rates have dropped and well-being has improved, systemic challenges remain, underscoring the need for continued change. 

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™.

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. 

For 2024, 43.2% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, down from 48.2% in 2023 and 53% in 2022. The data from the AMA’s national physician comparison report shows that doctor burnout has fallen to the lowest it has been since the COVID-19 public health emergency. 

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

Here are the other key performance indicators of physician well-being highlighted in the 2024 AMA national physician comparison report. 

Between 2023 and 2024, physicians’ job satisfaction rose from 72.1% to 76.5%. This is also up from 68% in 2022. The AMA national physician comparison report also provided insights into variations across gender, physician specialty and years in practice. Those figures will be published in upcoming AMA news articles.

The AMA’s Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program empowers health systems to reduce burnout and build well-being by focusing on system level drivers so that physicians and their patients can thrive.

While physicians continue to experience job stress, there is some positive movement on this key performance indicator. Last year, 45.1% expressed feeling a great deal of stress because of their job—down from 50.7% in 2023 and 55.6% in 2022. 

A source of that stress? More than one-third of respondents said ineffective EHR systems, combined with in-basket requirements and time-consuming documentation requirements, take away from patient care and are often completed after working hours. 

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Meanwhile, 26.5% of respondents said that shortages of physicians and support staff also added to their job stress. They noted that there is an ongoing need for more nurses, medical assistants or documentation assistance to help reduce physician workload.

Other stressors listed by physicians were limited control over their schedule, excessive administrative tasks, lack of support and transparency from leadership, and familial stress.

Visit AMA Advocacy in Action to find out what’s at stake in reducing physician burnout and other advocacy priorities the AMA is actively working on. 

With the physician burnout rate continuing to drop, it signals a promising trend that highlights the powerful impact of prioritizing well-being. This can be seen in ongoing efforts and programs health systems have implemented to proactively support physician well-being and professional satisfaction. 

These examples from health care organizations that are members of the AMA Health System Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—show commitment to improving well-being and reducing physician burnout.

1. Atlantic Health System integrates a systemwide well-being strategy

   1. As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlantic Health System established a committee that was largely focused on physician well-being. It was very effective for the need at that moment and for that particular time. But with the health system’s goal to be the best place for physicians to practice in New Jersey, they recognized that the work is broader than what could have been done through just that committee structure. Atlantic Health System needed new well-being leadership. Enter Shai Gavi, DO.

2. Hattiesburg Clinic embraces data to build on well-being success

   1. As a multispecialty practice that is physician-owned and governed, Hattiesburg Clinic gets the best of both worlds—the benefits of a large health system and private practice. This has likely contributed to the organization’s outstanding performance on measures of physician burnout, job satisfaction and stress. Yet Hattiesburg Clinic has still more to accomplish on its well-being journey. Drawing on insights gathered from the AMA Organizational Biopsy, read on to learn how Hattiesburg Clinic is working to further improve the well-being of its physicians.

3. Lehigh Valley Health Network leans on the AMA for guidance and support 

   1. When Amy A. Jibilian, MD, a pediatrician, took on the role of chief wellness officer (CWO) at Lehigh Valley Health Network—now part of Jefferson Health—in July 2023, there was already a solid foundation in place to address the epidemic of burnout and promote physician and nonphysician provider well-being. As she began her new journey as CWO, she quickly realized physician burnout was an extremely complicated and multi-faceted dilemma, so she turned to the AMA for help.

4. Marshfield Clinic Health System measures physician burnout through the AMA

   1. Physicians are at the forefront of patient care, often working long hours under intense pressure, which can lead to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a diminished sense of feeling valued. By systematically measuring burnout, health systems can identify the problem and target areas for improvement to ensure a supportive work environment and sustain overall well-being for physicians. That’s why Marshfield Clinic Health System chose to measure with the AMA.

5. Sanford Health continues to innovate in its efforts to improve well-being

   1. When Sanford Health measured well-being and physician burnout in 2022, they found that the levels remained little changed from what they had been in 2019, despite very intentional, nationally recognized systemwide efforts to bring more joy to practice. That outcome was, naturally, disappointing. But after speaking with the AMA organizational well-being team about their survey findings, leaders at the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based health system realized their numbers told a different story.

Since 2011, the AMA, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine have conducted triennial surveys that have charted the physician burnout epidemic at different moments in time. While many questions are the same, these figures cannot be directly compared because there is a different group of respondents. Nevertheless, they shed light on the ongoing burnout epidemic.

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 and improve practice efficiency.