Through its actions at the 2025 AMA Interim Meeting this week in National Harbor, Maryland, the House of Delegates strengthened the AMA’s role as the leader in physician well-being. The AMA is already reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine®. Now the Association will take further steps that will keep doctors safe in the workplace, help address physician burnout and support work-life balance.
On physician safety, concerns regarding the potentially increasing rate of occupational exposure to ionizing radiation for doctors and other health care personnel have grown along with the rapidly rising use of diagnostic imaging and interventional radiation therapy procedures that use ionizing radiation.
While the health effects of high-dose and single-exposure radiation are generally understood, the consequences of long-term exposure to low-dose radiation are less clear. Data examining the effects of health care personnel exposure to ionizing radiation indicates the potential for increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive health effects and the development of cataracts.
The AMA Council of Science and Public Health studied how best to accomplish comprehensive protection from ionizing radiation for physicians and other health care personnel—taking into account variation in body types, pregnancy status and specifics of the procedures being performed. The council’s experts also examined how to limit exposure beyond recommending the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Delegates adopted the council report’s recommendations to encourage:
- Public and private health care institutions to ensure the availability of PPE that provides comprehensive coverage of different body types to reduce ionizing radiation exposure to as low as reasonably achievable for health care personnel and trainees of all genders and pregnancy statuses.
- The use of dosimetry badges for all health care personnel and trainees who work in exposure-prone settings, with clear follow-up actions for those with elevated cumulative exposure.
- Continued research on the health effects of low level and very-low level exposure to ionizing radiation, the effectiveness of PPE and administrative and engineering controls designed to reduce exposure (e.g., shielding, interlock systems, labeling,), barriers to PPE use (e.g., fit, availability, cost), and ways to improve PPE use fidelity (e.g., training, education, and access to appropriately sized and ergonomic PPE).
- Education for all health care personnel and trainees specific to their expected exposure to ionizing radiation that includes awareness of and methods to limit radiation exposure to both patients and clinicians.
- Collaboration between medical specialty societies to establish education and training standards for the use of PPE and engineering controls to reduce exposure to ionizing radiation for health care personnel and trainees.
“Taking steps to help more health care professionals better limit their exposure to ionizing radiation will go a long way toward reducing or avoiding potentially harmful, long-lasting health effects,” said AMA Trustee Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD.
Measure what matters for doctors’ well-being
While rates of physician burnout have improved since an all-time peak during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the 45.2% prevalence of doctor burnout remains a pressing concern for the nation’s physicians and the public health.
“The AMA has made substantial efforts to address and improve physician burnout, professional satisfaction, and workforce turnover,” says an AMA Board of Trustees report whose recommendations were adopted at the Interim Meeting.
“Such efforts have included the adoption of a variety of policies, advocacy, partnerships with professional organizations, development and dissemination of tools, research, educational resources and hands-on support for health systems to regularly assess the state of their physician workforce.”
To further enhance efforts to advance physician well-being, delegates adopted new policy “supporting the use of metrics that hospitals and hospital systems can use to improve physicians’ experience, engagement and work environment in a manner accessible to physicians.”
Through their ongoing efforts to reduce physician burnout and enhance well-being, 109 hospitals, health systems and medical groups are were honored this year by the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program, for which one of the criteria is proper assessment of physician well-being.
Download the 2025 AMA Joy in Medicine® magazine (log into your AMA account to view) to see whether your organization is part of the prestigious group of 164 organizations across 40 states and the District of Columbia that are currently recognized for their dedication to physician well-being.
Support for pregnant physicians, trainees
About 40% of physicians plan to have a child during their graduate medical training. While the rigors of residency training are well documented, going through them while pregnant likely makes them even tougher.
In an effort to support pregnant physicians and trainees, the House of Delegates directed the AMA to “support evidence-based policies and procedures that prioritize the safety and well-being of all pregnant physicians.”
The AMA will advocate that relevant parties:
- Provide evidence-based accommodations for all pregnant physician trainees and physician staff.
- Implement those accommodations in such a way that they do not place an intolerable burden of work on other physician trainees and physician staff.
- Minimize departmental disruption in the event of medical necessity or early delivery.
Read about the other highlights from the 2025 AMA Interim Meeting.
