1 in 5 radiologists or other physicians considering careers outside of practicing medicine
About 22% of radiologists or other physicians are considering leaving their clinical careers to pursue work outside of medicine, according to new survey data from Medscape.
Education was one of the most popular alternatives, selected by 42% of respondents, followed by healthcare business (34%), writing (27%) or pharmaceuticals (20%). About 4 of the 5 physicians considering nonclinical work are actively researching new careers, and 66% said they feel little to no remorse about the money they spent on medical school.
“I wouldn’t say guilt is a factor, as much as they may feel trapped in their jobs, which can make them feel like they’ve wasted their training and money, especially if they have loans to pay off,” Michael McLaughlin, MD, founder of the Physician Renaissance Network consulting firm, told Medscape. “But once they transition into a new career that still requires their medical education, they feel reenergized and rewarded for having made that investment in their training.”
The website conducted its online survey between March and May, reaching a total of 2,533 physicians across numerous specialties including about 50 radiologists. Burn out (but not from the pandemic) was the No. 1 reason for considering leaving the profession at 34%, followed by “other” (24%), and wanting to work fewer hours (20%). COVID-related fatigue was cited by just 7% of respondents, while the same percentage said being a doctor was not what they expected.
Health reasons, getting older, inadequate pay to keep the practice viable and big business’ infiltration into the profession were given as other reasons. “Corporate America isn’t about good medicine. There’s too much bureaucracy and not enough patient care,” one respondent related. About 24% said they’d seek to exit clinical care in 2-3 years, while 19% estimated 7-12 months, and 18% had no timeline.
You can read more about the results, published Oct. 8, for free from Medscape here.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.