Eighteen percent of oncologists said their burnout is so severe that they may leave medicine, according to a Medscape report.
The "Oncologist Burnout & Depression Report 2024" surveyed 9,226 physicians across more than 29 specialities between July 5 and Oct. 9.
Thirty-six percent of oncologists said they have felt burnout for more than two years, 28% said they have felt it for 13 months to two years and 24% said they have felt burnout for seven months to one year.
Of oncologists surveyed, 76% said their employer seems to recognize some or a lot of burnout problems. The top contributors to burnout were too many bureaucratic tasks (59%), too many hours at work (47%) and insufficient compensation (37%).
Here are the workplace measures oncologists said would help most with their burnout:
Add support staff — 55%
Increase physician control/autonomy — 47%
Increase compensation — 41%
Make work schedules more flexible — 38%
Lighten patient loads — 32%
More respect from administrators, employers, colleagues, staff — 28%
Make counseling available/check in with physicians — 10%
Offer different jobs — 9%
Other — 3%