Doctors aren’t as satisfied as they used to be. Here’s why.

The landscape of medicine is changing. And so are the attitudes, and stress levels, of physicians across the country.

More than 1,100 physicians opened up about stress, career satisfaction, financial compensation, the direction of healthcare and more by responding to a recent survey from Physicians Practice.

Years of experience

Nearly 70% of the respondents were older than 55, which means the survey provides an overview of the thoughts of many physicians who have been practicing for decades and watched health care change over the years.

Practicing medicine has gotten more stressful, the majority of respondents said, citing administrative work, third-party interference and loss of independence as the most draining aspects of their jobs.

When asked how the government could improve health care, physicians focused on issues affecting their patients, such as drug prices and threats to those with pre-existing conditions.

On a brighter note, the majority of respondents are generally happy with their lives—when asked how happy they were on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the happiest, the average rating was 6.8.

For more information, see Physicians Practice’s full report on the survey, including analysis and information about the respondents.

Further reading:

Best hospitals in America as chosen by doctors 

Best and worst states for doctor work, life happiness, according to Medscape

Best and worst states for doctors in 2018: How’s medicine where you live?