Introduction
The AMA’s Physician Well-Being Program aims to raise awareness, advance knowledge and catalyze change to reduce physician burnout and promote joy, meaning and purpose to the practice of medicine.
Research
The AMA grounds its practice transformation work in ongoing research in professional satisfaction and organizational well-being, helping to identify system-level drivers associated with burnout, consequences when burnout is not addressed, and strategies organizations can implement for effective and sustainable changes in the well-being of their physicians and care teams.
Some examples of AMA's latest research include the following:
- Imposter phenomenon in U.S. physicians
- The association between resilience and burnout
- The connection between childcare stress and burnout
- Physicians’ experiences with mistreatment and discrimination and association with burnout
- Vacation days taken, work during vacation, and burnout among US physicians
- Impact of Work on Personal Relationships and Physician Well-being
For more information, read AMA's professional satisfaction and practice sustainability research synopsis (PDF).
Measure
The Organizational Biopsy® is a no-cost, validated assessment tool developed to support organizations in holistically measuring and taking action to improve the well-being of their organization. The Organizational Biopsy provides a comprehensive, customizable assessment across four domains:
- Organizational Culture (leadership, teamwork, trust, etc.)
- Practice Efficiency (team structure, team stability, workflows, etc.)
- Self-Care (post-traumatic stress, post-traumatic growth, work-life balance, etc.)
- Retention (work intentions)
Act
The AMA STEPS Forward® Program offers open-access practice innovation strategies that allow physicians and their teams to thrive in the evolving health care environment. Physicians looking to refocus their practice can find practical, actionable steps to implementation with toolkits and playbooks, podcasts, webinars, interactive tools and more.
Key AMA STEPS Forward resources
- Playbook series: Comprehensive guides on saving time, taming the EHR, digital health implementation, wellness-centered leadership, and starting and sustaining a private practice.
- Podcast series: Health care leaders share personal stories, tips and insights on overcoming common practice challenges in this weekly podcast.
- Innovation Academy: Subject matter experts lead webinars, learning collaboratives, boot camps and more that promote professional satisfaction, efficient use of technology, practice sustainability and quality patient care.
The Debunking Regulatory Myths series reduces regulatory guesswork by helping physicians and care teams quickly and easily understand ever-changing medical regulatory requirements.
The AMA also helps combat physician burnout by advocating against administrative burden, shaping more than 40 policies and securing 12 regulatory victories.
Recognize
The Joy in Medicine™ Health System Recognition Program serves as a strategic guide to support organizations in their journey to improve professional satisfaction and organizational well-being. The goal of the program is to unite the health care community in building a culture committed to increasing joy in medicine for the profession nationwide.
Convene
The AMA is a proud co-sponsor of two prominent conferences focused specifically on combating physician burnout and improving physician health and well-being.
American Conference on Physician Health
Sept. 11-13, 2025 | Boston, MA
The biennial American Conference on Physician Health™ (ACPH), co-sponsored by the American Medical Association, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine, promotes scientific research and discourse on health system infrastructure and actionable steps organizations can take to improve physician well-being.
International Conference on Physician Health™
Sep 28-30, 2026 | London, United Kingdom
The biennial International Conference on Physician Health™ (ICPH), co-sponsored by the American, British and Canadian Medical Associations, supports doctors and medical students in creating better working environments for themselves and their colleagues. Register your interest in attending ICPH 2026 and be the first to be informed when new information is available.
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