Across a range of specialties, radiology residents tend to be less prone to burnout, with just over a third reporting symptoms of the condition, according to a study published in the September 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. But when it comes to regretting their career choice, they're higher on the list.
Studies have suggested that burnout is common among U.S. physicians and that it varies by specialty, wrote a team led by Dr. Liselotte Dyrbye of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. There has been little research about the phenomenon among residents, however.
"Studies of U.S. physicians have found substantial differences in the prevalence of symptoms of burnout and career satisfaction by clinical specialty," the researchers wrote (JAMA, September 18, 2018, Vol. 320:11, pp. 1114-1130).
"To our knowledge, no similar national study has been conducted for resident physicians," they noted.
To address the question of burnout rates among residents, Dyrbye and colleagues assessed 3,588 U.S. medical residents across 20 specialties who completed a questionnaire at year 2 of their residency. The survey included questions about medical specialty and levels of anxiety and empathy during medical school; the researchers used measures adapted from the Maslach Burnout Inventory to assess symptoms of burnout. They also evaluated any possible regrets the residents had about their career choice.
Of the study participants, 45.2% reported burnout symptoms and 14.1% reported career choice regret. Factors associated with a higher risk of burnout included being female and having higher reported levels of anxiety during medical school. Meanwhile, higher levels of empathy during medical school were associated with a lower risk of burnout during residency, the group found.
As for radiology residents in particular, more than a third reported symptoms of burnout (35.4%), at the low end of the scale among medical residents. Some 16.7% of radiology residents reported overall career choice regret, but only 6.1% reported regret in their specialty selection.
| Burnout prevalence by specialty, year 2 of residency | |
| Specialty | Burnout prevalence |
| Urology | 63.8% |
| Neurology | 61.6% |
| Ophthalmology | 55.8% |
| Emergency medicine | 53.8% |
| Surgery (general) | 53.8% |
| Neurological surgery | 52.% |
| Physical medicine and rehabilitation | 50% |
| Orthopedic surgery | 49.7% |
| Ob/gyn | 48.9% |
| Other surgery | 48.2% |
| Otolaryngology | 44.8% |
| Plastic surgery | 44.4% |
| Psychiatry | 43.9% |
| Pediatrics | 43.2% |
| Internal medicine | 42.6% |
| Anesthesiology | 42.5% |
| Family medicine | 37.2% |
| Radiology | 35.4% |
| Pathology | 34.7% |
| Dermatology | 29.6% |
| Career choice regret by specialty, year 2 of residency | |
| Specialty | Career choice regret prevalence |
| Pathology | 32.7% |
| Anesthesiology | 20.6% |
| Surgery (general) | 19.1% |
| Neurology | 17.4% |
| Psychiatry | 16.9% |
| Physical medicine and rehabilitation | 16.7% |
| Radiology | 16.7% |
| Neurological surgery | 16% |
| Ophthalmology | 15.8% |
| Urology | 15.5% |
| Dermatology | 15.5% |
| Other surgery | 14.3% |
| Pediatrics | 13.6% |
| Orthopedic surgery | 12.4% |
| Internal medicine | 12.2% |
| Ob/gyn | 12% |
| Emergency medicine | 11.4% |
| Otolaryngology | 9% |
| Family medicine | 8.9% |
| Plastic surgery | 7.4% |
"Among U.S. resident physicians, symptoms of burnout and career choice regret were prevalent, but varied substantially by clinical specialty," Dyrbye and colleagues concluded. "Further research is needed to better understand these differences and to address these issues."
