PHYSICIANS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS LOOKING TO MAKE A CAREER CHANGE

• 1/3 of academic physicians plan to leave their institutions in the short term[1].
• 1/4 of medical students in the U.S. are considering dropping out; that’s double the 12% of medical students worldwide[2].
• 40% of physicians may leave their employer within two years[3].
• 49% of physicians say they’re burned out and 20% are depressed, down from 53% and 23% from the previous year[4].

WHERE ARE THE DOCTORS GOING?

• 30%. Percentage of physicians in active patient care over the age of 60 considering retirement, meaning a “retirement cliff” is on the horizon[5].
• 26%. Percentage of physicians considering leaving their primary roles to enter nonclinical careers[6].
• 124,000. The potential physician shortage by 2034[7].
• 60%. Percent of physicians who had to sign a noncompete agreement when starting their jobs[8].

8 HIGHEST EARNING AMBULATORY SURGERY CENTER SPECIALITY PHYSICIANS [9]

1. $619,000: Plastic surgeons
2. $573,000: Orthopedic surgeons
3. $507,000: Cardiologists
4. $501,000: Gastroenterologists
5. $485,000: Ear, nose and throat
6. $448,000: Anesthesiology
7. $412,000: General surgery
8. $388,000: Ophthalmology

5 LOWEST PAYING PHYSICIAN SPECIALTIES IN 2023 [9]

1. $249,000: Public health and preventive medicine
2. $251,000: Pediatrics
3. $255,000: Family medicine
4. $262,000: Infectious diseases
5. $267,000: Diabetes and endocrinology
    

SIGNING BONUSES FOR SPECIALITIES [10]

• $47,993: Physician
• $25,595: Optometrist
• $17,216: Nursing director
• $17,106: CT technologist
• $12,350: Physical therapist·   
• $11,143: Registered nurse
• $9,714: Physician assistant
• $7,188: Occupational therapist
• $3,912: Nursing assistant
• $3,627: Nurse practitioner

$2,711: Medical assistant
 
18%. New nursing and healthcare positions offering signing bonuses for new employees[2].
 
Sources:

1. JAMA Network, “Well-Being Parameters and Intention to Leave Current Institution Among Academic Physicians,” December 2023.
2. Elsevier, “Clinician of the Future 2023 Education Edition,” October 2023.
3. AMA, “40% of doctors eye exits. What can organizations do to keep them?” November 2023.
4. Medscape, “New Medscape Report Reveals Progress Among Physician Burnout, Depression,” January 2024.
5. AMN Healthcare, “2023 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives,” 2023.
6. Medscape, “Careers That Tempt Doctors to Leave Medicine,” November 2023.
7. Physicians Thrive, “2023 Physician Compensation Report,” 2023.
8. Physicians Advocacy Institute, “The Impact of Practice Acquisitions and Employment on Physician Experience and Care Delivery,” November 2023.
9. Medscape, “Physician Compensation Report,” April 2023.
10. Becker’s ASC Review, “The average signing bonus for 11 ASC specialties,” based on research from Adzuna, January 2024.