Midcareer physicians report the highest levels of burnout and job stress and the lowest rates of job satisfaction and feeling valued, the American Medical Association found.
The 2025 AMA Organizational Biopsy surveyed nearly 19,000 physicians across 38 states and 106 health systems and organizations. The survey asked about job satisfaction, job stress, burnout, intent to leave an organization and feeling valued.
Burnout
In 2025, 41.9% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout. However, midcareer physicians reported the highest rates of burnout, while physicians at more than 20 years post-residency reported the lowest.
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%
Job stress
Similar to burnout, midcareer physicians reported the highest levels of job stress while older physicians reported the lowest.
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%
Job satisfaction and feeling valued
Early and late-career physicians reported the highest job satisfaction at 77.9% and 79.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, physicians with 11 to 15 years in practice reported the lowest job satisfaction at 73.9%.
Early and late-career physicians also report the highest rates of feeling valued.
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%
There is a growing emphasis among hospitals to recruit and retain new physicians, as well as keep older physicians from retiring. However, this data suggests hospitals and health systems may be overlooking midcareer physicians in retention efforts.