As physician burnout continues to ease, the recovery is not being felt evenly across the profession. Exclusive AMA data shows that years in practice can shape how physicians experience burnout, with early-career doctors and those later in their careers facing different pressures.
For younger physicians, the strain may come from establishing clinical confidence, managing heavy workloads, and navigating early career demands. For more experienced physicians, it may reflect years of administrative burden, leadership responsibilities, and the cumulative toll of practicing medicine in a strained healthcare system.
Nearly 19,000 responses from physicians across 38 states were received from 106 health systems and organizations who participated in the AMA Organizational Biopsy® last year. Of the organizations that participated, 34 health systems were recognized in 2024 and 2025 from the AMA Joy in Medicine® Health System Recognition Program.
The National Physician 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 an organization and feeling valued—as well as additional analysis of drivers and key findings. Download the National Physician Comparison Report (email required to access).
In 2025, 41.9% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. However, burnout rates varied among physicians based on the number of years in practice, post residency or fellowship training.
For 2025, here is what AMA data reveals about physician burnout rates and how they vary based on the number of years since completing residency or fellowship training:
- 1–5 years: 40.8%.
- 6–10 years: 48.8%.
- 11–15 years: 46.9%
- 16–20 years: 45.4%.
- 20 or more years: 35.8%.
Here are the other key performance indicators of physician well-being based on years post residency or fellowship training highlighted in the 2025 AMA National Physician Comparison Report. Also highlighted is the ongoing well-being work at healthcare organizations that are part of the AMA Health System Member Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Job stress and satisfaction vary
Physicians across all levels of training also reported variations in their job stress levels:
- 1–5 years: 41.6%.
- 6–10 years: 47.9%.
- 11–15 years: 47.2%
- 16–20 years: 45.9%.
- 20 or more years: 38.3%.
Meanwhile, job satisfaction was highest in early and late-career physicians. For physicians who were five or fewer years out of training, 77.9% reported they were satisfied with their jobs. And for physicians with 20-plus years since residency or fellowship, 79.6% reported job satisfaction. But job satisfaction rates were lowest for physicians with 11 to 15 years in practice, at 73.9%.
To help reduce job stress and improve satisfaction, what Jason Mitchell, CMO of Geisinger, ultimately wants is to support, inspire and lead in a way that values contributions of the entire team and creates possibilities they may have never been able to do. If the Geisinger workforce was represented in a Pyramid, Dr. Mitchell sees himself at the bottom, in service to his colleagues and their shared work to be the best. He shows this in his regular meetings with direct reports. The sessions are not designed as “report outs” of them saying what they did. Rather, the goal is for Dr. Mitchell to better understand the work they are doing and how he can best support them to cut friction and lift care.
Meanwhile, Sutter Health continues to build on its well-being foundation, expanding its efforts, moving beyond measurement to implement new initiatives designed to reduce administrative burden, strengthen team-based care and create more sustainable practice environments across the health system. One key resource to help reduce stress and improve satisfaction has been by reducing documentation burdens across Sutter Health, including the use of augmented intelligence to reduce administrative tasks and cognitive load. This enables more personal patient interactions and more sustainable care delivery.
Physicians are feeling valued
For 2025, there was also variation among physicians reporting that they feel valued by their organization. Here is what AMA data reveals about rates of feeling valued and how they vary based on the number of years post residency or fellowship training:
- 1–5 years: 57.9%.
- 6–10 years: 51.2%.
- 11–15 years: 52%
- 16–20 years: 54.4%.
- 20 or more years: 59.4%.
Additionally, 25.4% of physicians who are 16 to 20 years post training reported they were likely to leave their current practice in the next two years. This is compared with physicians who have more than 20 years since residency or fellowship, at 34.9%, which is likely due to many who are nearing retirement.
Physicians at Rush University System for Health in Chicago deeply appreciated their patients’ gratitude, but what the team tasked with elevating the organization’s public-facing recognition activities discovered was that recognition from peers was appreciated every bit as much. The new recognition initiative was designed to publicly acknowledge the impact of physicians’ work and connect it with organization-wide goals, as well as reinforce the larger sense of purpose and belonging that’s crucial to the culture of a large academic health system.
Meanwhile, building a true culture of well-being required additional, more human-centered insights at The Southeast Permanente Medical Group. The organization’s well-being strategy has been anchored around a single, powerful question on the engagement survey that looked at whether physicians feel valued. This metric has become a lens for understanding physician burnout, engagement and sense of purpose. By positioning “feeling valued” as the North Star for well-being, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group reinforced that this is a cultural commitment, not simply a collection of programs and initiatives.
Similarly, recognizing that connection and community are essential components of well-being, Northwell Health has invested in opportunities for doctors to engage with one another. For example, the health system hosts eight Doctor’s Lounge events each year, drawing up to 300 attendees per event. These gatherings provide space for networking, relationship building, and informal collaboration among physicians at Northwell Health
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.
AMA STEPS Forward® offers real-world solutions to common challenges in healthcare today. Explore a variety of innovative, physician-developed resources designed to help prevent physician burnout, optimize workflows, improve well-being and enhance patient care.
