29 physician specialties ranked by burnout rates

By Mackenzie Bean for Becker’s Hospital Review

Critical care physicians have the highest rates of burnout among all physician specialties, according to a new survey from Medscape.

For the report, Medscape surveyed 12,339 physicians in more than 29 specialties from Aug. 30 to Nov. 5, 2020.

Across all specialties, 42 percent of physicians reported burnout, the same percentage as in 2019.

Here’s how each specialty stacked up:

Note: The list includes ties.

1. Critical care — 51 percent of physicians reported burnout
2. Rheumatology — 50 percent
3. Infectious diseases — 49 percent
Urology — 49 percent
4. Pulmonary medicine — 48 percent
5. Neurology — 47 percent
Family medicine — 47 percent
6. Internal medicine — 46 percent
7. Pediatrics — 45 percent
8. Obstetrics and gynecology — 44 percent
Emergency medicine — 44 percent
9. Cardiology — 43 percent
Nephrology — 43 percent
10. Physical medicine and rehabilitation — 41 percent
Psychiatry — 41 percent
11. Anesthesiology — 40 percent
Gastroenterology — 40 percent
12. Allergy and immunology — 39 percent
Diabetes and endocrinology — 39 percent
13. Radiology — 36 percent
14. Public health and preventive medicine — 35 percent
Ophthalmology — 35 percent
General surgery — 35 percent
Pathology — 35 percent
15. Otolaryngology — 33 percent
Orthopedics — 33 percent
Oncology — 33 percent
16. Plastic surgery — 31 percent
17. Dermatology — 29 percent