Each year, Medscape conducts a survey designed to measure physician happiness, work-life balance, and healthy habits. This year, they collected information from 15,181 physicians across 29 specialties. They also took time to review differences between three generations: millennials (25-39 years old), Generation X (40-54 years old), and baby boomers (55-73 years old).
What did they find out?
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Ophthalmologists are among the happiest physicians
Much like previous years, ophthalmologists ranked among the happiest physicians outside of work. Rheumatologists, general surgeons, and public health physicians were at the top of the list, with physicians who work in internal medicine, critical care, and neurology at the bottom of the list.
Millennial physicians tend to be happier than their peers – although it’s close
The majority of millennial physicians (81%) are happy outside of work, with 4% being neither happy nor unhappy, and 15% being unhappy. Baby boomers are the least happy outside of work, although not by much: 76% are happy, 5% are neither happy nor unhappy, and 18% are unhappy.
Most physicians rarely have time to themselves
Over half of physicians (59%) report inadequate free time for personal health and wellness, saying that they never or rarely have time for themselves. Gen Xers and millennials were the most likely to report dissatisfaction with the amount of free time.
Most physicians drive… a Toyota?
By far, the most popular car company among physicians is Toyota, at 20% of respondents. Honda was the second most popular brand (15%), followed by BMW (10%).
Physicians have plenty of vacation time
Almost half of physicians take 3-4 weeks of vacation, and nearly a quarter take 5 weeks or more. The average vacation time in the United States workforce is between 10 and 19 days.
Most physicians aren’t heavy drinkers
In general, physicians aren’t heavy drinkers, with 49% of physicians having less than one drink per week. Members of Generation X tend to drink the least, with 51% having less than one drink per week.
If you’re dealing with stress, unhappiness, or a dearth of free time, Sightpath can help. Our comprehensive, turn-key solutions help you boost your productivity, see more patients, and get home to your family.