Work happiness about average for ob.gyns.
Ob.gyns. are in the middle of the pack when it comes to physician happiness both in and outside the office, according to Medscape’s 2020 Lifestyle, Happiness, and Burnout Report.
About 28% of ob.gyns. reported that they were very happy at work, and 54% said that they were very happy outside of work, according to the Medscape report. Dermatologists were most likely to be happy at work at 41%, and rheumatologists were most likely to be happy outside of work at 60%.
The rate of burnout was higher in ob.gyns. than in physicians overall at 46% versus 41%; notably, 19% of all ob.gyns. reported being both burned out and depressed. The most commonly reported reasons for burnout were too many bureaucratic tasks (57%), increased time devoted to EHRs (36%), and insufficient compensation/reimbursement (35%).
The most common ways ob.gyns. dealt with burnout was by isolating themselves from others (50%), exercising (49%), and talking with friends/family (44%). About 48% of ob.gyns. took 3-4 weeks of vacation, slightly more than the 44% average for all physicians; 32% took less than 3 weeks’ vacation.
About 15% of ob.gyns. have contemplated suicide, and 1% have attempted suicide; 80% have never contemplated suicide. Only 21% reported that they were currently seeking or planning to seek professional help for symptoms of burnout and/or depression, with 63% saying they would not consider and had not utilized professional help in the past.
The Medscape survey was conducted from June 25 to Sept. 19, 2019, and involved 15,181 physicians.