According to new American College of Cardiology survey data, cardiologists are increasingly experiencing burnout. What is particularly troubling is that this burnout, which is occurring most in mid-career and female physician cardiologists, is occurring while efforts to reduce job-related stress have been ramping up. Whereas less than 27% of cardiologists reported burnout in 2019, this year, that number has jumped to over 35%.
The survey, completed by more than 2,000 cardiologists, showed that more than 45% of mid-career cardiologists – with between 8 and 21 years of experience – feel burnt out. In comparison, about 35% and 31% of early-career and late-career physicians reported burnout, respectively. While 33.5% of men who practice cardiology said that they were experiencing burnout, more than 45% of women cardiologists claimed to feel burnt out.
In addition to career stage and sex, the likelihood of burnout amongst cardiologists also appeared to depend on cardiologists’ perceptions of the stress level of their work environments. For instance, for the group of cardiologists who reported having a hectic work environment, only 14.6% said that they did not experience burnout. On the other hand, 32.3% of this group reported feelings of stress, and nearly 60% reported burnout. Of those who claimed to be concerned that they had made a significant medical error over the past 3 months, 58% reported burnout, and 33% reported stress.
In addition to the nature of work stress, work volume influenced likelihood of burnout amongst cardiologists, with those working more reporting higher levels of burnout. Of the cardiologists working 60 hours per week or more, 41.5% reported burnout, whereas 29.5% felt burnt out if they worked between 40 and 59 hours each week, and less than 18% of those working fewer than 40 hours per work reported feelings of burnout.
While more data are needed to understand the impact of this burnout in the practice of cardiology on physician services and on patient outcomes, more than 15% of survey responders said that they are planning to leave their current job. It is the hope of the cardiology community that efforts to minimize stress and burnout will improve job satisfaction amongst cardiologists and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
FAQs
Burned-out cardiologists reported that much of their job stress came from poor care team efficiency, a hectic work atmosphere, and a lack of control over their workload. Clinical communication systems are designed to combat poor care team efficiency by reliably creating more streamlined clinical workflows.
What are the burnout rates for cardiology? ›
Burnout among cardiologists has increased by 4 percentage points over the last year, according to Medscape's 2024 "Physician Burnout and Depression Report." Forty-three percent of cardiologists reported experiencing burnout in the 2023 report, but that rose to 47% in this year's report.
Why is being a cardiologist stressful? ›
It's not a secret that working in medicine can be stressful. Cardiologists are a classic example of medical professionals with multiple demands, especially those that work in a hospital setting. They often face high morbidity and mortality, excessive workload, busy schedules, and tedious clerical work.
Do cardiologists have a good lifestyle? ›
Spending time with friends and family (77%), exercising (67%), and activities and hobbies (64%) are the top ways that cardiologists maintain their happiness and mental health.
What is the growth rate of cardiology? ›
Number of cardiologists expected to grow 3% by 2032.
Why is burnout so high in healthcare? ›
Burnout in healthcare professionals is associated with work-to-family conflict, unrealistic expectations of patients, an ongoing pressure on continuous learning, long working hours, excessive bureaucracy, organizational issues, poor communication among healthcare professionals, and personal issues [20].
Do doctors have a high burnout rate? ›
A large national survey study from nearly 10 years ago found an alarming level of physician burnout, with 45.8% of physicians reporting at least 1 symptom of burnout when assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). During the COVID-19 pandemic, a few studies described a sharp increase in burnout rates in the US.
Are cardiologists overworked? ›
Excessive workload.
Too many hours at work was reported by 37% of cardiologists in the last Medscape Report as one of the factors that contribute most to burnout. Prior to the pandemic, 68% of cardiac imaging specialists reported that a heavy workload contributed to their stress.
Is cardiology residency stressful? ›
Conclusions: Most CV fellowship PDs are satisfied with their position, but stress and burnout remain common. Women PDs, early-career PDs, and PDs of larger, university-based programs demonstrate more adverse markers of well-being. Opportunities exist to support CV fellowship PDs in their critical role.
Why is being a cardiologist hard? ›
The cardiovascular system is very complex, and cardiologists often must deal with situations where someone's life is on the line. One small mistake can cause severe health problems or even death. Due to such high responsibilities, the requirements to become a cardiologist are lofty.
Cardiologists are one of the happiest careers in the United States. At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, cardiologists rate their career happiness 4.2 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 5% of careers.
What is the personality of a cardiologist? ›
The personality traits of the cardiologist include devotion to patients' needs, ability to deal with stress, thoroughness in attention to detail, dependability, honesty, and ethical behavior in all situations. Cardiologists need a nurturing personality.
What is the life expectancy of a cardiologist? ›
Cardiologists lived to the age of 73.4 (±13) years.
How old are most cardiologists? ›
Cardiologists are, on average, the oldest physician specialists in practice, with an average age of 59.
What is the highest paid cardiologist? ›
High Paying Cardiologist Jobs
- Electrophysiologist. Salary range: $108,000-$400,000 per year. ...
- Interventional Cardiologist. Salary range: $320,000-$400,000 per year. ...
- Invasive Cardiologist. Salary range: $341,000-$400,000 per year. ...
- Physician Non Invasive Cardiologist. ...
- Pediatric Cardiologist. ...
- Cardiovascular Specialist.
Emergency medicine physicians experience the highest burnout rate at 65%, closely followed by internal medicine and pediatrics at 60% and 59%, respectively.
What is the average burnout rate for doctors? ›
At the end of 2021, nearly 63% of physicians reported symptoms of burnout, up from 38% in 2020. Research shows that large-scale change is needed to address the physician burnout crisis.
Which medical specialty has the lowest burnout rate? ›
Among specialties, the least stressed-out professionals with low burnout rates overall are:
- Plastic surgery: 46%
- Urology: 47%
- Psychiatry: 47%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: 47%
- Ophthalmology: 48%
- Dermatology: 49%
- Allergy & Immunology: 49%
- Otolaryngology: 49%
However, health professionals at various career stages also experience considerable levels of burnout. One study suggests that emergency physicians experience the highest levels of burnout with 57% of emergency physicians experiencing burnout22.
According to new American College of Cardiology survey data, cardiologists are increasingly experiencing burnout. What is particularly troubling is that this burnout, which is occurring most in mid-career and female physician cardiologists, is occurring while efforts to reduce job-related stress have been ramping up. Whereas less than 27% of cardiologists reported burnout in 2019, this year, that number has jumped to over 35%.