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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020
| Contributor Information
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Being a physician comes with the constant struggle to balance work and personal life, and general surgeons are no different. This Medscape report explores how these doctors deal with burnout and other wellness issues, as well as their life outside of the office.
(Note: Some totals in this presentation do not equal 100% due to rounding.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
A career as a general surgeon can be challenging. Compared with their colleagues, general surgeons' happiness is toward the middle of the pack. One third responded that they were very or extremely happy at work.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Perhaps not surprising, in general, physicians in all specialties, including general surgeons, are happier outside of the office. Sixty percent of general surgeons said they are either very or extremely happy when away from work.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The percentage of general surgeons who are burned out is somewhat lower than that of burned-out physicians overall (41%).
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The growing number of bureaucratic tasks is the leading factor for general surgeon burnout. Other factors include spending too many hours at work and lack of respect from colleagues in the workplace. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Nearly half of general surgeons turn to isolating themselves to deal with their burnout, while a similar proportion exercise, illustrating the variety in coping mechanisms among physicians. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Of those general surgeons who said they are depressed, about half said it has an impact on patient interactions. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The large majority of general surgeons who reported being depressed said they have not felt suicidal. However, about one tenth of general surgeons said they had had suicidal thoughts.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Seventy-one percent of depressed and/or burned-out general surgeons plan to deal with their emotions themselves. Fifteen percent are seeking help now or plan to do so.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
While wellness programs in healthcare organizations and hospitals are becoming more common, general surgeons are divided on whether they would access such services.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The two main factors keeping general surgeons from seeking help for their burnout and depression are not considering their symptoms severe enough and feeling that they could handle it on their own. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The majority of general surgeons, regardless of gender, are married. Overall, 8% of physicians are single, similar to the percentage of general surgeons (9%).
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Overall, 85% of physicians characterize their marriages as good or very good, about the same as general surgeons (89%).
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Forty-seven percent of general surgeons take 3-4 weeks of vacation per year, which aligns closely with all physicians (44%). Seven percent of general surgeons spend more than 6 weeks away from the office.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Toyota is the top make among general surgeons, as it is among all physicians. Ford and Honda are the next most popular makes among general surgeons. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Seventy-one percent of general surgeons spend 1-10 hours per week on the Internet for personal use. According to a recent study by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future, weekly Internet use at home rose from 12.3 hours in 2010 to 17.6 hours in 2016.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
The large majority of general surgeons said they spend 10 hours or less on the Internet for their work. Similarly, 75% of all physicians spend that amount of time online for their jobs.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Close to one third of general surgeons say they regularly have the time to focus on their health and wellness goals. However, for the majority, it is a struggle to balance that with the workload and commitment they carry as physicians.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Twenty-eight percent of general surgeons say they manage to exercise at least four times a week. In 2018, the CDC found that only 23% of US adults are reaching their guidelines of at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
About 4 in 10 general surgeons reported having fewer than one alcoholic beverage per week. The percentage of general surgeons who said they have more than six drinks per week is the same as the percentage for physicians overall.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Nearly half of general surgeons reported feeling very or somewhat anxious about the US political climate as we approach the next presidential election. Physicians overall were also fairly divided in their concern over events coming out of Washington, DC.
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
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Medscape General Surgeon Lifestyle, Happiness & Burnout Report 2020
Keith L. Martin | February 12, 2020 | Contributor Information
Medscape Physician Lifestyle & Happiness Report 2020: The Generational Divide
More than 15,000 physicians of various generations told Medscape about their lives outside of medical practice.Medscape Features Slideshows, January 2020
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Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.
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Keith L. Martin
Editorial Director, Medscape Business of Medicine
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