Radiology among the most burned out specialties, new AMA survey says
Radiologists are among the physician specialists reporting the highest rates of burnout, according to new survey data from the American Medical Association.
About 45% of radiologists have experienced such workplace exhaustion, which places the specialty fifth among medical professions polled. Emergency medicine led the way at nearly 50%, followed by urological surgery (50%), hematology/oncology (49%) and OB-GYN (46%).
The findings are based on a survey of nearly 19,000 physicians across 38 states, with the AMA sharing the results on April 16. Overall, about 42% of physicians reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, down from 43% in 2024 and 48% in 2023.
“2025 marked another year of progress in reducing overall physician burnout levels,” American Medical Association President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, said Thursday. “However, burnout varies widely by medical specialty, driven by differences in workload, administrative burden, clinical environment, staffing support and the day-to-day realities of practice,” he added later.
Mukkamala, a board certified otolaryngologist, noted that the reduced year-over-year burnout rate reflects “broad gains” in physician engagement, well being, and “perceived support” across organizations. The AMA said 4 of the 5 indicators of burnout improved significantly since 2024, with pronounced variation by specialty. Hospital-based physicians—including radiology, anesthesiology and emergency medicine—performed worse than benchmark physicians on 3 of 5 measures, the AMA adds, “suggesting persistent operational and workflow challenges.”
Infectious disease specialists (23%), nephrologists (29%), dermatologists (32%), psychiatrists (32%) and anesthesiologists (39%) were among those reporting the lowest levels of burnout. Across all specialties, about 56% of physicians reported feeling valued by their organization, up nearly 2% from the previous year. However, these sentiments varied by gender, years of practice and specialty. Hospital-based specialties such as radiology reported the lowest rates of satisfaction (75%), while the highest rates were seen among psychiatrists (83%) and OB-GYN specialists (81%).
“These data make clear that improving physician well-being isn’t one-size-fits-all—it requires targeted, specialty-specific strategies,” Mukkamala added. “By reducing administrative burden and advancing evidence-based solutions, we can help physicians rediscover the joy in medicine while building more sustainable practice environments.”
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.