Physician burnout rates continue to drop after peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic, but radiology remains one of the medical specialties with the worst burnout problem. That’s according to a new AMA survey that underscores a continuing trend toward improved physician satisfaction.
Physician burnout has been a cause of concern for the past decade. Burnout rates accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic as doctors struggled with long hours and crushing patient volume.
- But the problem appears to be easing over time, with both peer-review studies and industry surveys revealing lower burnout levels.
The new AMA survey confirms the trend. The organization surveyed 19k U.S. physicians throughout 2025, finding…
- An overall physician burnout rate of 42% in 2025, down compared to 2024 (43%) and 2023 (48%), and sharply down from the peak in 2021 (63%).
- Physician job satisfaction rose to 77%, stable compared to 2024 (77%) and up compared to 2023 (72%) and 2022 (68%).
- The burnout rate in radiology was 45%, making it the fifth-worst among specialties after emergency medicine (50%), urological surgery (50%), hematology/oncology (49%), and OB/GYN (46%).
How well do the AMA’s numbers reflect radiology’s reality?
- Unfortunately, the AMA hasn’t included radiology-specific numbers in previous years of its survey, making it hard to directly compare year-over-year changes.
But in a recent thread on radiology bulletin board RadHQ.net, members anecdotally reported that burnout is becoming less prominent for radiologists, for several reasons…
- Higher compensation that makes radiologists feel more valued.
- More flexible arrangements – like teleradiology – that support working from home or more flexible shifts.
- Increased job mobility due to the radiologist shortage, with the flexibility to leave toxic practices for new ones.
The Takeaway
So which is it – is radiology burnout higher than other specialties, or is it declining? Ironically, both statements could be true – while radiologist burnout remains high relative to other physicians, at least it’s trending in the right direction.
