Medical school debt is on the rise. Female doctors still consistently earn less than their male colleagues. High stress is causing an epidemic of burnout among medical professionals. For a number of reasons, more doctors are starting “side hustles,” from consulting gigs to advisory roles and more. Read More
It’s no secret that doctors face higher levels of stress than the average person.
One study found that 28 percent of doctors experience “above threshold” levels of stress, compared to 18 percent of the general population who report this level of stress on the job, according to Verywell Health, a doctor-reviewed website affiliated with The Cleveland Clinic.Read More
The solo practice doctor is on the verge of extinction, many industry experts have long predicted. Yet other sources say independent practices are making a comeback. “For every solo practice that chooses to close its doors, there are many more that continue to stand their ground, pretty much as they have for the last 50 years,” reported The Independent Pediatrician.Read More
New doctors are more likely to work for employers rather than for themselves. As we previously reported, 2016 marked the first year in which less than half of practicing physicians (just over 47 percent) owned their own practice. Nearly a third of doctors (32.8 percent) worked for hospital-owned practices or were employed directly by a hospital in 2016, according to the most recent American Medical Association (AMA) data. That number is expected to increase, since millennial doctors prefer careers as employees rather than as owners.Read More
Burnout continues to be a widespread problem among doctors. Medscape’s 2018 Physician Lifestyle Report polled over 15,000 U.S. physicians from 29 specialties and found that 42 percent said they feel burned out. Another 15 percent reported feeling depressed, and 14 percent of all doctors surveyed said they feel both burned out and depressed.
The median cost of attending a four-year public medical school is more than $240,000. Private medical school fees can exceed $340,000, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Most medical students rely heavily on financial aid to fund their education. The median education debt for new med school grads is $180,000, with 14 percent of graduates starting their residency owing $300,000 or more.Read More
