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Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Physicians are finding that their happiness level and work-life balance are not springing back easily as COVID-19's effects on the workplace wane. Many doctors are struggling to find the same level of contentment that they enjoyed before the pandemic, to feel like they are healthy people with enough time for their families.
This year's report examines how quickly and effectively physicians are regaining happy and healthy lifestyles, marriages, family relationships, and personal habits. Fulfillment in their careers is another important topic. Nearly 9200 doctors across 29 specialties responded to our survey.
(Note: Some totals in this presentation do not equal 100% because of rounding.)
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
These days, many people, including doctors, judge their overall happiness against how they felt before the pandemic.
For physicians, our survey shows that results are about the same. Around the same share of doctors as in our 2022 report (81%) said they were very or somewhat happy people outside of work before COVID-19 hit. And about the same percentage as in last year's report (59%) said they are very or somewhat happy today.
How that happiness gap can be closed, and how quickly, are vital questions for the profession.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
As for how they feel during the workday, COVID-19 again has dealt a blow to sustained happiness from which physicians clearly have yet to recover.
One reason that doctors' happiness hasn't increased may be that they are unable to work remotely, as people in many other industries can do. For example, in a study by applications software provider Qualtrics International, 43% of US employees said their work-life balance improved during and after the pandemic. They often gave the credit to increased remote work.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Especially among women, a substantial share of doctors said they deal with stronger feelings of conflict in trying to balance parenting responsibilities with a highly demanding job.
Adding to the stress, female physicians often have a hard time talking about that conflict with their bosses and turn down career-advancement opportunities, according to a JAMA Network Open article.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Doctors seem to be caring more for their own well-being. A somewhat greater share of physicians said they tend to their health and wellness "always" or "most of the time" than in last year's report (33%). And doctors somewhat less often said they "rarely" or "never" look after their wellness vs last year (23%).
One compelling reason why physicians need to pay more attention to their own wellness: A 2022 Medscape report found that 47% of doctors felt burned out, up from 42% a year earlier.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Doctors' workout routines were consistent when we checked in this year. Compared with our 2022 report, they worked out at least four times a week about as often (33%). Ditto for three or fewer exercise sessions per week (67% last year).
Of course, physicians have frantic schedules, but experts say this exercise frequency could still be improved. The US Department of Health and Human Services recommended a minimum of 2.5 hours a week of moderately intensive exercise. What's more, a study by Harvard researchers recommended more intensive exercise if you want real benefits.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
In last year's report, 55% of physicians said the "earn less to enjoy life more" deal sounded good to them.
The National Bureau of Economic Research ran this choice by average American workers and found that 40% would take the pay cut. Perhaps the demands of medicine make the trade-off more appealing to doctors, or maybe it's a more manageable decision given their incomes.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
On average, doctors were increasingly ready to choose better work-life balance during the height of COVID-19. Now that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, the hope is that the slight increase in how often physicians answer "no" to this question will become a trend.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
The news is mixed in terms of how much doctors drink. For example, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines "heavy drinking" as more than 14 drinks per week for an average man and more than seven for a woman. With 7% of physicians consuming seven or more drinks weekly, this indicates that they probably trail the approximate 6% of the US population with an alcohol use disorder.
On the other hand, about 34% of American adults drink no alcohol at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
These online-usage percentages were about the same as in last year's report. So, how do doctors stack up against other Americans in terms of their internet appetite away from the office?
Research from the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future showed that the average American spends about 18 hours each week online at home. A minority of physicians are on their phones and other devices that often.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
The great majority of doctors (male or female) are married or in a committed relationship. You wouldn't expect much change in such numbers in the space of just 1 year, and indeed the percentages across all categories were about the same as in our 2022 report.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Over the past decade, the marriage/committed relationship rate among male doctors has either held steady or gradually climbed. Female physicians stay unattached more frequently than their male counterparts do, and the trend line does not indicate that the gap is closing.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
The frequency with which doctors said they enjoy "very good" or "good" marriages was similar to that in our last two reports.
Still, physicians experience marital turmoil at a rate similar to what's seen in the general public. The 24.3% divorce rate among physicians — while somewhat lower than in the general US population — shows that their marriages are failing frequently, a journal article's analysis found. And female doctors are divorcing more often than their male counterparts are.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
From year to year in our reports, there's no consistency in which specialists will lead or trail the pack with blissful marriages. Interestingly, though, in last year's report, the rate of happy marriages exceeded 85% in seven specialties. This time around, none did.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
These results were similar to those in our 2022 report. Why do doctors wind up marrying another physician or someone else in the healthcare field nearly half the time? One big reason, according to an American Medical Association article, is that physicians form many of their close friendships with others working the same crazy hours, starting in med school and residency. And a lot of marriages began as close friendships.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Replies to this question were nearly identical to those in our 2022 report. In 2018, 73% of physicians answered yes. How do physicians compare with average Americans here? They're slightly less likely to be believers, apparently. A Gallup poll found that 76% of Americans identify with a specific religious faith (which doesn't include spiritual beliefs outside of a mainstream religion).
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
As in last year's report, about half of doctors said they are trying to shed some pounds.
One could interpret this as a warning sign — or as evidence that physicians are unusually disciplined people. A recent Gallup poll discovered that while 55% of Americans would like to lose weight, only 26% are seriously trying to do so.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
For 6 years in a row, Toyota, Honda, and BMW have ranked 1-2-3 with doctors. It's worth noting that Tesla climbed the rankings (eighth, vs 10th in last year's report). Medscape has noted before the growing popularity of high-end electric vehicles among physicians.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
Seventy-nine percent of doctors kept vacation time at 4 weeks a year or less, the same as last year. The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the number and length of family vacations, and it may take some time for long leisure trips to return in force.
Jon McKenna | January 20, 2023 | Contributor Information
The great majority of physicians do not regularly use CBD (cannabidiol) or cannabis for either recreational or medical purposes.
An interesting question is whether this stance will shift as more states legalize recreational marijuana. Voters in Maryland and Missouri did so in the recent midterm elections, bringing the list to 21 states plus the District of Columbia. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia now allow medical use of cannabis products.
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