In 2012, more physicians reported they planned to cut back on hours or retire than in 2008, but less physicians reported they would work part-time or seek a non-healthcare job or business, according to the Physicians Foundation's Survey of America's Physicians by Merritt Hawkins.
The world of healthcare is constantly evolving under the influence of healthcare reform and developments in technology, among other factors. Accordingly, physicians' outlooks on their futures change to reflect the realities of their profession. The following list reveals the percentage of physicians who answered "yes" to planning on making the following changes in one to three years, in 2008 and in 2012.
2008
- Continue as I am — 51.48 percent
- Cut back on hours — 20.3 percent
- Retire — 11.0 percent
- Switch to a cash or concierge practice — 7.0 percent
- Seek a non-clinical job within healthcare —13.4 percent
- Work part-time — 10.2 percent
- Work locum tenens — 7.5 percent
- Seek a non-healthcare job or business — 10.1 percent
- Close my practice to new patients — 7.4
2012
- Continue as I am — 49.8 percent
- Cut back on hours — 22.0 percent
- Retire — 13.4 percent
- Switch to a cash or concierge practice — 6.8 percent
- Relocate to another practice or community — 10.9 percent*
- Cut back on patients seen — 9.6 percent*
- Seek a non-clinical job within healthcare — 9.9 percent
- Seek employment with a hospital — 5.6 percent*
- Work part-time — 6.5 percent
- Work locum tenens — 6.4 percent
- Seek a non-healthcare job or business —6.4 percent
- Close my practice to new patients — 4.0 percent
- Other — 5.5 percent*
More than 13,500 physicians participated in the 2012 survey.
Editor's note: Asterisked answers are related to questions that were asked for the first time in 2012.