A study published in JAMA Network Open earlier this year provides important insights into the career plans of residents in emergency medicine training programs, including the way that issues like their educational debt load may affect choices about what first physician job they will take out of training. And recently released, AMA-exclusive data shows how the experience in training may differ for resident physicians in emergency medicine programs.
In the JAMA Network Open study, “Career Plans Among Graduating U.S. Emergency Medicine Residents,” researchers surveyed 2,711 emergency medicine residents from June 20 to Aug. 18 of 2024 about their career plans after residency training.
Most of those who responded said they expected to practice clinical emergency medicine for about two decades, primarily in community or hybrid settings, with less than half of the residents planning to work in rural practice. Of those surveyed, 61% reported having more than $100,000 in educational debt and 72.4% of them met the criteria for burnout.
“Understanding these dynamics is important because EM [emergency medicine] remains a critical safety net and front door to care for patients and communities across the health care system,” the study’s authors wrote.
Residents training in emergency medicine programs also report different experiences with burnout and program satisfaction than do the broader group of residents and fellows, according to a recently released AMA-exclusive report.
Based on survey responses from more than 3,000 resident and fellow physicians across 20 states and 29 organizations, the AMA National Resident Comparison Report is exclusive data to the AMA and the Organizational Biopsy. The report reflects 2025 trends on five key performance indicators—job satisfaction, job stress, burnout, intent to leave and feeling valued—as well as additional analysis of drivers and key findings. Download the national resident companion report (email required to access) for a selection of data from the complete National Comparison Report.
There were also important considerations with both the AMA report and the JAMA Network Open study, including with the populations assessed and the methods used. The issues explored, however, remain crucial for residents of all specialties, according to Nancy Nankivil, the AMA’s director of organizational well-being.
“If residents are feeling a sense of burnout, when they get into practice—depending on their specialty—this is not something that’s going to go away or be reduced,” she said. “It is critical that health care organizations continue to focus on improving key system drivers related to well-being.”
In this article, readers will learn:
- How educational debt influences emergency medicine residents’ first job choices.
- The rates of burnout and program-related stress among physicians training in emergency medicine.
- How likely emergency medicine residents are to say they want to stay with their organizations after training.
- Which career paths and practice settings emergency medicine residents say they plan to pursue.
- Some of the key factors driving emergency residents’ career decisions.
