Two out of three physicians are considering leaving their roles as overworking continues to be a widespread challenge and physician compensation remained flat or was down for many specialties last year, according to Doximity's 2023 "Physician Compensation Report."
Four findings:
1. Most physician respondents (86 percent) reported being overworked, another key driver of those considering employment changes, while 35.6 percent of respondents are considering early retirement, according to the report.
2. Almost 20 percent of physicians reported being overworked but were not seeking for a new employer, 15 percent reported seeking new employment because of being overworked and 16.1 percent reported looking for a new career altogether.
3. Average physician pay declined by 2.4 percent in 2022, compared to an increase of 3.8 percent the prior year, according to Doximity. Click here to see the specialties with the highest and lowest annual compensation last year.
4. The gender pay gap among physicians still needs improvement, with male physicians earning almost $110,000 more than their female counterparts, according to the report. This represents a 26 percent gender pay gap in 2022, compared to 28 percent in 2021. The pay gap may be contributing to a higher burnout rate among female physicians — almost 92 percent of female physicians reported overwork in 2022, compared to 83 percent of male physicians.
Doximity's survey results include responses from more than 31,000 full-time physicians in 2022 and responses from more than 190,000 physicians over the last six years.