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'Their lives are awful': More doctors are quitting medicine, citing burnout and workplace issues

By The Boston Globe  
   February 03, 2025

A 2023 study published in JAMA found that large numbers of doctors now hope to leave clinical practice. Of the nearly 19,000 physicians surveyed, "approximately one-third reported moderate or greater intention to leave." Burnout and lack of professional fulfillment appeared particularly likely to spur that intention. Among specialists, anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, and ER doctors reported high levels of burnout. According to one report, more than 70,000 physicians — over 6 percent of the country's physicians — left medicine just between 2021 and 2022. For doctors seeking to enter other industries, there are lots of options, including biotech, consulting, venture capital, medical devices, and pharmaceutical companies. Some even join insurance companies, evaluating the claims that come in from clinicians.

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