Is a career in medicine worth the trouble? From grueling residencies and demanding patients to cumbersome EHRs and endless administrative duties, the challenges physicians face leave many questioning their professional path. However, profound and unexpected moments also pull them back in, reminding them why they started this journey in the first place.
In a recent Jackson Physician Search and LocumTenens.com survey, physician and APP respondents didn’t hold back about those pivotal moments — both the good and the bad. The results of the survey, documented in the report “Is Medicine Still a Calling? Exploring Physician Attitudes About Purpose in Medicine,” indicate most physicians (90%) initially felt “called” to the profession. However, over half (52%) say those feelings have waned over time. It’s easy to speculate on what causes the shift. Still, individual respondents’ words clarify the complex and evolving motivations behind why physicians choose to enter – and remain in – the field. By reflecting on their voices, we aim to capture both the doubts and the reaffirming moments that define a life in medicine.
Keep reading to better understand how physicians feel about the highs and lows of practicing medicine today.
These responses have been edited lightly for clarity.
What Causes Physicians to Question Their Paths?
As physicians, you know the challenges of a career in medicine all too well. Some days, all you can hope for is that the good outweighs the bad. For the physicians quoted here, the negative aspects of the job seem to have overtaken the positive. They may remain in practice for now, but they are questioning their career choices. Some wonder if it’s time for a new physician job. Others seem more likely to leave the profession altogether.
Several themes emerge in their comments (noted below). However, one overarching crisis becomes abundantly clear. If the industry doesn’t address the obstacles physicians face, we will see an increasing number of providers leaving the profession — and advising others against entry.
Administrative Burdens
“Realizing that I spend more time on a computer than with patients. Insurance companies make up illogical algorithms. Medicare/insurance companies keep cutting payments while overhead expenses go up.”
“The workload impacted my family life significantly. The “business” of medicine and bureaucracy has only grown, and this, with electronic records, occupies too great a proportion of my time compared with direct patient care. The constant push to increase RVUs and billing is demoralizing. Healthcare seems to be controlled by insurance companies and pencil pushers, not MDs.”
Medicine as a Business
“The constant mergers in medicine and the for-profit incentives of the entire system have made me question my decision to practice. There’s also the increased administrative burdens and always being asked to do more and more with less. Being a physician does not mean what it used to mean. Now you are just a cog in the wheel of a system that exploits people over profits.”
“The gradual and over-reaching corporate influence over medicine has completely ruined it for doctors and patients. The corporate objectives that prioritize money over everything else have totally compromised quality of care, access to care, and professional job satisfaction.”
Productivity Demands
“Practicing medicine now means you need to see twice as many patients to make a decent living, as most practices pay you per patient. It creates a rushed environment, and patient care can suffer. This, plus the endless documentation, means you get to spend less time face-to-face with your patient. I didn’t know this going into medicine; I really got into medicine to help others.”
“The large volume of patients we have to see in a short amount of time, while providing satisfactory customer service on a daily basis. The amount of after-work duties I have to do on a nightly basis — addressing messages, refilling medications, filling out paperwork, reviewing results, reviewing medical records, and precharting for the next day or week. The more patients you see, the more this adds up.”
Sacrifices
“I made significant personal sacrifices and delayed gratification during a prime season of life when many peers were being promoted and experiencing early career success — financial rewards, starting families, purchasing homes, and feeling settled in one place. I delayed any “real” income for ten years, sacrificing the compounding growth of savings during that time. Now, I face decreasing reimbursements and a net decrease in overall pay for physicians when inflation is considered.”
“Terrible work-life balance during residency and losing out on my child’s early years, a large amount of debt, and no way to pay it back because of a low-paying specialty, fighting insurance companies for care that patients need.”
The Moments that Confirm the Mission
The challenges are not to be underestimated, but physicians also shared the moments that made them realize they were exactly where they were supposed to be. Despite all the obstacles, their purpose lies in caring for patients.
“A young female patient returned to the ICU unit where I had cared for her. She had been ventilated and trache’d and went to an LTAC, not being able to move any of her extremities. She returned walking and fully recovered, thanking me and stating that she ‘heard my voice” when I was caring for her in the ICU. That one experience was satisfaction enough for the rest of my life.”
“When I was working locums shifts in a prison infirmary, I was able to make a meaningful connection with an inmate whose life I saved after the prison clinic system had neglected his needs and reasonable requests for years on end. I played some small part in helping him survive long enough to make it home to his family, and after 30+ years incarceration, he is now working as a productive member of society, serving his family, and rebuilding a life.”
“Many such moments, probably at least once a month, where you really witness a turning point for a patient. I’m very grateful to be a part of these journeys and that people have entrusted me to be there.
“As a child, I vividly remember accompanying my mother to her doctor’s appointment. The way the doctor exuded confidence and calm made a lasting impression on both my mother and our family. It was in that moment that I felt a deep desire to become a doctor, someone who could provide that same sense of reassurance and peace. Today, I strive to care for my patients with the same compassion and understanding that my mother experienced during her challenges. Having overcome her own health struggles, she now thrives and takes great joy in watching her daughter care for others. Her resilience inspires me every day, and it is my hope to bring comfort and support to everyone I have the privilege to serve.”
“I am with patients at their most vulnerable. Having the connections with patients when they can really be themselves and discuss their precious family dynamics and be open and honest with me.”
“There is no one particular moment, but I take them all as a whole. There are ups and downs in trauma/critical care. We lose some patients and we heroically save some patients. And I have the privilege to take on a major role in those aspects of a patient’s life. Not many people will have a more intimate relationship with a patient than that. Overall, the negative outcomes balance out with the positive outcomes. Any particular experience taken individually can either give a false sense of optimism or lead to depression. But taken altogether, it’s the life of a trauma surgeon. And with time, it is this that has confirmed my reason for choosing medicine.”
Embracing the Positive
Physicians and APPs face many difficulties. Fortunately, most respondents to the aforementioned survey feel that the positive aspects of practice outweigh the negative. But is this enough to retain physicians until retirement age? Will it be enough to attract a new generation of doctors? Physicians want to help others and make a difference in their communities. Finding an employer that empowers them to do this is essential to physician job satisfaction.
If your current job has you questioning your decision to practice, it’s likely time to find a new position. Reach out to the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search today and start your search for a job that reconnects you with your purpose.
