Although the role of physician was ranked the 13th best job for 2023, 53 percent of providers said they are burned out and 23 reported experiencing depression, according to a survey published Jan. 27 by Medscape.
The 2023 "Physician Burnout & Depression Report" surveyed 9,175 providers in more than 29 specialties from June 28 to Oct. 3 about how burnout and depression have affected them in the last year.
Although the average annual salary for physicians of all specialties increased in the last year, the rate of burnout and depression among physicians has increased by 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively, since 2018, according to Medscape's survey.
To examine the relationship between salary and feelings of burnout and depression, here is a chart comparing the average annual salary and number of specialists who reported burnout, listed by salary:
|
Specialty |
Average salary |
Percent who reported burnout |
|
Plastic surgery |
$576,000 |
46% |
|
Orthopedics |
$557,000 |
45% |
|
Cardiology |
$490,000 |
43% |
|
Otolaryngology |
$469,000 |
49% |
|
Urology |
$461,000 |
47% |
|
Gastroenterology |
$453,000 |
52% |
|
Dermatology |
$438,000 |
49% |
|
Radiology |
$437,000 |
54% |
|
Ophthalmology |
$417,000 |
48% |
|
Oncology |
$411,000 |
52% |
|
Anesthesiology |
$405,000 |
55% |
|
General surgery |
$402,000 |
51% |
|
Emergency medicine |
$373,000 |
65% |
|
Critical care |
$369,000 |
55% |
|
Pulmonary medicine |
$353,000 |
54% |
|
Obstetrics and gynecology |
$336,000 |
58% |
|
Pathology |
$334,000 |
39% |
|
Nephrology |
$329,000 |
44% |
|
Neurology |
$301,000 |
55% |
|
Allergy and immunology |
$298,000 |
49% |
|
Rheumatology |
$289,000 |
50% |
|
Psychiatry |
$287,000 |
47% |
|
Internal medicine |
$264,000 |
60% |
|
Infectious diseases |
$260,000 |
58% |
|
Diabetes and endocrinology |
$257,000 |
51% |
|
Family medicine |
$255,000 |
57% |
|
Pediatrics |
$244,000 |
59% |
|
Public health |
$243,000 |
37% |