Why It Seems Like All Doctors Are Quitting Medicine

Many physicians have surely had it rough lately. Between getting the squeeze from insurance companies, private equity buyouts of practices, and (oh yeah) a raging global pandemic, there has been a lot of pressure placed on physicians and medical staff across the world.

Has the Great Resignation finally come for health care providers, or is this just a continuation of historical trends pushing medical professionals towards non-clinical careers? As a practicing surgeon who straddles the worlds of clinical practice, education, and investing, I’d like to add my perspective.

What the Heck is Going On?

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Job hopping is fairly common, especially in the first couple of years of practice, so this isn’t revolutionary. What’s more interesting are those that are leaving to start their own practice or doctors who are quitting medicine altogether for nonclinical careers. It’s not just your imagination.

The Covid pandemic has clearly caused unprecedented challenges for the medical community. The sheer crush of morbidity and mortality over the past two years is like nothing the medical community has ever seen.

The Covid-19 Pandemic

For the rest of us further from the front line, the impact of the pandemic has come in many forms. At the beginning of the pandemic, many of us experienced:

– Anxiety about job stability – Clinic and OR shutdown – Redeployment to Covid patient care – Redeployment to vaccination drives

Data from late 2021 shows that it is in fact true that more doctors are retiring from medicine. In fact, 25% of physicians are thinking about early retirement. This shows that it’s not just a feeling. More doctors are in fact quitting medicine, and many more are considering it.

More Doctors are Retiring

Working a 9-5 job with a commute has never seemed so unsatisfactory for our nation at large. In 2021, somewhere between 25% to 40% of workers planned to leave their jobs. Most are planning to move to a better job, but many people (especially women), may have left the workforce for good.

Dissatisfaction with the Status Quo

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