As physician burnout continues to trend down, the story is no longer just about whether the rate is falling—it is about where strain still runs deepest and why. Across medicine, the experience of burnout varies widely by physician specialty, reflecting differences in workload, administrative burden, clinical environment, staffing support and the day-to-day realities of practice.
Exclusive data from the AMA shows that while the aggregate metric for professional well-being shows improvement, some physician specialties are experiencing more burnout than others. That uneven picture matters. It suggests that progress is real, but it may not be reaching every corner of medicine at the same pace. A closer look at physician specialty-level burnout, job satisfaction and job stress offers a clearer view of where physicians are feeling supported—and where health systems and policymakers still have work to do.
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 who 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 and feeling valued—as well as additional analysis of drivers and key findings.
In 2025, 41.9% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, down from 43.2% in 2024 and 48.2% in 2023.
For the most stressful medical job in 2025, the highest percentages of burnout occurred in nine physician specialties. They are:
- Emergency medicine: 49.8%.
- Urological surgery: 49.5%.
- Hematology/Oncology: 49.3%.
- Obstetrics and gynecology: 45.7%.
- Radiology: 45.2%.
- Family medicine: 45%.
- General surgery: 43.8%.
- Cardiology: 43.5%.
- Gastroenterology: 43.5%.
Meanwhile, the lowest percentages of burnout occurred in six physician specialties. They are:
- Infectious diseases: 23.3%.
- Ophthalmology: 25.8%.
- Pathology: 28.3%.
- Nephrology: 29.3%.
- Dermatology: 31.5%.
- Psychiatry: 31.6%.
Here are other key performance indicators of well-being highlighted in the 2025 AMA national physician comparison report and how different physician specialties are affected.
Job stress down, with variations
These physician specialty groupings—based on CMS groupings—reported variations in job stress levels. The physician specialties that are reporting the most job stress are:
- Obstetrics and gynecology: 48.7%.
- Surgery specialty (i.e. otolaryngology, orthopaedic surgery and plastic surgery): 47.8%.
- Hospital-based (i.e. anesthesiology, emergency medicine and radiology): 42.9%.
- Primary care (i.e. family medicine, pediatrics and palliative care): 42.8%.
- Medical specialty (i.e. dermatology, gastroenterology and rheumatology): 37.9%.
- Psychiatry: 30.5%.
From 2024 to 2025, four of the five physician KPIs showed statistically significant improvement. This reflects broad gains in engagement, well-being and perceived support across organizations. However, specialty-level results signal a need for more targeted areas of progress.
For example, primary care and medical specialties demonstrated significant reductions in stress. Meanwhile, ob-gyns reported improvements in feeling valued while psychiatry showed a notable decline in intent to leave.
When comparing specialty groups to the overall physician results for 2025, there is greater variation. Hospital-based specialties scored significantly worse than the overall benchmark on three of the five KPIs, according to exclusive AMA data. This suggests that there are unique pressures within hospital-based specialties.
Medical specialties and psychiatry outperformed the overall comparison numbers, showing significantly better results in four of the five KPIs.
Job satisfaction is seeing mixed movement
Overall job satisfaction remained stable in 2025 at just under 80% for all physicians. The job satisfaction rates for these physician specialty groupings are:
- Psychiatry: 83%.
- Obstetrics and gynecology: 81.2%.
- Medical specialty: 78.8%.
- Primary care: 78%.
- Surgery specialty: 75.8%.
- Hospital-based: 74.8%.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine.
Inside different physician specialties
Overall, the latest data points to meaningful progress. Burnout rates are down, while professional satisfaction is rising and job stress is easing. But those gains are not felt evenly across medicine, making physician specialty-level differences especially important for health systems looking to better understand where pressures remain highest and where more targeted well-being strategies are needed.
Here—in order of burnout rate as listed above—is an inside look at different physician specialties from AMA members who have participated in the AMA “Shadow Me” Specialty Series, which offers advice directly from doctors about life in their specialties.
Each doctor is from an organization that is 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.
Emergency medicine
“As the inpatient and outpatient worlds experience increasing pressures due to lack of staffing, payor pressures, regulation and financial constraints on clinics and health systems, these problems culminate in the emergency department in so many ways,” said Christopher Davis, MD. “Confluence Health has invested in physician well-being in many ways and has been recognized by the AMA for the organization’s ongoing committed efforts to improve physician satisfaction and reduce burnout.”
Urology
“As a urologist, patients often come to you in severe discomfort (complete urinary retention, kidney stone pain) or under significant stress (new cancer diagnosis). In these instances, I feel such gratitude to be able to use my surgical training to alleviate these conditions with relative swiftness,” said Amanjot Sethi, MD, a urologist with The Permanente Medical Group.
Hematology/oncology
“Frequently, we deal with patients who are very ill, and being able to deliver high-quality care is of utmost importance. Despite our best efforts and newest medical advancements, many of our patients succumb to advanced cancers, and this can be emotionally draining,” said John “Bo” Hrom, MD. Hattiesburg Clinic “has programs that enable physicians to meet with colleagues and discuss burnout. This is typically done after hours, and I have found these sessions to be a safe space where we can discuss our issues as a group.”
Obstetrics and gynecology
“While being an ob-gyn is extremely rewarding, if the practice isn’t designed to provide the level of support needed, then the long hours, challenging clinical scenarios and lack of work-life balance can take a toll,” said Nariman Heshmati, MD. “Something I am really proud about is how Lee Health has tackled the issue of burnout head on and made physician well-being a priority. Last year, we created a leadership role of clinician wellness and dove right into developing mentoring and support programs.”
Radiology
“Radiologists face demanding workloads, long hours and the constant pressure to maintain accuracy, leading to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization,” said Olaseni Arogundade, MD. “At Confluence Health, addressing physician burnout is a top priority, aligned with the organization’s commitment to patient safety and quality care. Recognizing the challenges inherent in the specialty, our health system has implemented a robust framework to support radiologists and mitigate burnout.”
Family medicine
“Burnout in family medicine is a huge topic and has contributed to several issues, including feeling undervalued and a lack of recognition of what we do in health care, too much paperwork and administrative tasks or referral networks, and difficulty finding work-life balance,” said Carl Lambert, MD. Rush University System for Health “does a lot to head off burnout, including by streamlining administrative tasks, reducing paperwork, and leveraging technology to free up physicians to focus on patient care.”
Cardiology
“Burnout in cardiology is real. Most cardiologists work long hours, both inpatient and outpatient. Work-life balance is difficult,” said Josselin Vachon, MD. “CenterWell is one of the nation’s only value-based cardiovascular practice models, so there are no nights, weekends or hospital on-call duties. We are only incentivized to drive great clinical outcomes and deliver an excellent patient experience. We are not volume based.”
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 health care today. Explore a variety of innovative, physician-developed resources designed to help prevent physician burnout, optimize workflows, improve well-being and enhance patient care.
