Job turnover is on the rise for doctors as their desire for flexibility and work-life balance gives them the courage to leave overworked or undervalued jobs, a new study shows. Report Posted by Healthcare Human Resources CHG Healthcare.
The report found that 43 percent of physicians changed jobs during the pandemic. It also found that 8% of physicians retired and 3% left medicine for non-clinical careers.
For the report, CHG surveyed 534 physicians across the country about their career changes from the onset of the pandemic to April 2022. 40% of respondents are early-career, 26% mid-career, and 34% late-career.
average value annual turnover The percentage of doctors is 6-7%, according to Association of American Medical Colleges. 43% of the findings in the CHG report represent physicians who changed jobs within two years, but it still points to a significant disruption in the physician workforce,
The report found that the main motivation for switching roles was a desire to improve work-life balance.
“Physicians want to work in a place where they can practice medicine, treat patients and still live their lives for themselves, their family and friends,” said Leslie Snavely, chief sales officer at CHG Healthcare. “There has definitely been a shift in doctors, they are no longer Willing to work 100 hours a week and have no life outside of work.”
Even after survey responses were broken down by career stage, work-life balance remained the most common motivation for changing jobs. However, some other key reasons vary by career stage. For example, early-career physicians were more likely to switch jobs to a more desirable location, mid-career respondents were more interested in gaining a better workplace culture, and late-career physicians were motivated by flexibility .
Nearly 40% of switching physicians accepted jobs in a different practice setting—a change in practice setting that may be attributed to national trends reduce hospitalizationsThe report also found that 31% of physicians who switched jobs started temporary assignments, 25% accepted a position in a practice setting similar to their current practice, and 10% switched to telehealth.
According to Snavely, only 3 percent of respondents said they had left non-clinical careers, a relatively small sample, but they mostly worked in consulting, education and research.
Among physicians who have not made any career changes in the past two years, 73% said they are likely to remain in their current roles until the end of 2022. Intentions to stay dropped to 59% by 2023 and to 46% by 2024 and beyond. However, only 13% said they wanted to leave the medical field by 2023.
To mitigate rising physician turnover, employers should prioritize flexibility and work-life balance, Snavely said. Physicians are asking them to not overwork, feel heard by their managers and be seen as valuable caregivers, not just another “cog in the machine,” she said.
“Medicine is a tough profession; it takes years of training and costs over $300,000 to get through,” she said. “If you’ve finished your residency and think you’re still never going to have a life of your own, that can be frustrating. Frustrated. “
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