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More Doctors Reporting Work Dissatisfaction, Study

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Jul 03, 2013 04:26 PM EDT

A new study reveals that many physicians are dissatisfied and are unlikely to recommend their occupation to young people.

A national survey conducted by Jackson Healthcare from March 7 to April 1, 2013, involving 3,456 doctors, wanted to look at the problems that are fueling physician dissatisfaction.  

The survey revealed that 42 percent of doctors reported being dissatisfied and 59 percent reported being unlikely to recommend their profession to young people, according to HealthDay.

The survey found that more doctors were employed by hospitals in 2013 than in 2012, and that there was a marked decline in solo practitioners. The survey found that high overhead costs, administrative hassles, and reimbursement cuts were some of the reasons why doctors were leaving private practice.

Most doctors reported working at least 10 hours a day, with 82 percent of respondents working between eight and 12 hours a day. The survey found that 88 percent of doctors reported doing on-call shifts.

Researchers also found a significant decrease in the number of doctors who plan on continuing practicing medicine.  The poll found that 77 percent of physicians reported having definite plans to practice medicine in the next year in 2013 compared to 86 percent in 2012.

The survey found that the top reasons for leaving medical practice included feeling burnout, not wanting to practice in an era of health care reform and economic factors.

"It's no surprise that the more hours a physician reported working, and the fewer support staff to which they had access, the greater their dissatisfaction and the more likely they were to consider exiting the medical field," researchers said, according to HealthDay. 

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