Residents and fellows searching for their first physician job out of training may have heard about the high turnover among colleagues in their early career, possibly even being worried about needing to change jobs themselves. But one expert suggests dialing back the pressure and realizing that a transitional experience may be exactly what they need to develop a thriving career in medicine.
“The way that early-career physicians make decisions may not be totally aligned with what their preferences turn out to be, and that's OK,” said Greg Chang, general manager and vice president of CareerMD, a platform that helps connect resident and fellow physicians with job opportunities. “That’s a natural process of learning.”
Chang, who formerly worked as a hospital administrator, offered reassurance for residents and fellows searching for their first jobs that they shouldn’t feel pressured to find the “perfect” role.
First-job turnover sizeable for physicians
Early-career physicians are not likely to stay long in their first roles after completing residency or fellowship training, data shows.
Yearly physician turnover was reported in the “2025 AAPPR Physician and Provider Recruitment Benchmarking Report: Search Dynamics and Trends” at an overall median rate of 7.3%, with the median in urban areas at 7.8% and at 6.7% in suburban areas. There was no rural physician turnover number reported in the study, which includes information from 128 healthcare organizations that participated in the annual research study and includes details from more than 15,000 searches, 61% of which were for physicians. Turnover rates for physicians have hovered at these levels since 2020, according to the report, though there was a small spike in the wake of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Those in their first physician jobs after training are even more likely to leave, though. A report from Jackson Physician Search and the Medical Group Management Association shows that nearly 60% of physicians will leave their first post-training jobs within three years. More than 25% said they considered leaving within just one year.
“One of the most important decisions early-career physicians make is choosing the environment in which they'll begin practice,” said Heather Farley, MD, MHCDS, the AMA’s group vice president of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability. “While no first job is guaranteed to be the perfect fit, physicians who take the time to evaluate an organization's culture, leadership, operational support and commitment to physician well-being are more likely to find an environment where they can thrive. And if they ultimately decide to make a change, that doesn't necessarily mean they made the wrong choice—it may simply reflect that their priorities and career goals have evolved with experience.”
Learn more about the AMA Career Advancement Collective, a powerful suite of educational programs and training that will help physicians develop and advance at every stage of their career.
Physician turnover may be necessary
Some early-career job changes are due to physicians learning through experience what kind of practice most fulfils them, which Chang said isn’t a negative—or even something that can necessarily be avoided. It may turn out that a coveted academic position requires more research than you enjoy, or establishing a physician private practice could mean you need to manage employees more than you would prefer.
There is also research that shows physicians often need to change jobs to climb the career ladder. In those situations, someone in their early career may avoid feeling too settled if they know that they will need to move for promotions.
“The amount of turnover after the first job, I think some of that's a little inevitable because while it's a big decision and a lot of has gone into both sides figuring it out, you almost don't know what you really like, what you gravitate towards and practice until you've done some of it,” Chang said.
If you’re searching for your first physician job after residency, get your cheat sheet from the AMA now.
Physician salary needs may change
As many physicians are emerging from residency and fellowship training with a sizable medical student-loan burden—$200,000 or more, on average—compensation may be a priority for a first role out of training. As financial pressures ease and experience increases, early-career physicians might opt to deprioritize salary in favor of other factors such as autonomy, flexibility, culture, leadership and professional fulfillment as they progress in their careers.
Additionally, Chang said that physicians may find that the way their compensation metrics are assessed by an employer are not in line with their preferred style of delivering care.
Physicians are “all trying to do the best we can and trying to provide great patient care,” Chang said. “But if your incentives are misaligned with that, then that's going to come out when your performance is reviewed.”
Changing jobs doesn’t equate to failure
Realistically, no matter how much a physician digs into an organization before accepting an offer, not all turnover can be prevented. Someone may want to move to care for aging parents, for a plum new role or simply because they have found they were in a position that wasn’t an ideal fit. If they have done their due diligence in selecting their first employer, Chang said, there is no need for regret.
“Sometimes experimentation is required, and that's the same for any job. Most folks don't stay at their first job forever, and I think that's OK,” he added. “But if you take some of these other steps, then you can minimize the amount of preventable turnover.”
Ultimately, the goal isn't finding the perfect job, Dr. Farley said. It's finding an environment that lets you learn, grow and build the career you want.
“Even if your first position isn't your last, a thoughtful decision can provide the foundation for long-term professional fulfillment,” she noted.
Learn more on evaluating practice environments to match your priorities with the AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit, “What to Look for in Your First or Next Practice.” It is enduring material and designated by the AMA for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Read up on AMA accreditation.
