29 physician specialties ranked by 2021 burnout rates

Emergency medicine physicians have the highest rates of burnout among all physician specialties, according to a Medscape's 2022 Physician Burnout and Depression report

More than 13,000 physicians across 29 specialties were surveyed between June 29 and Sept. 26, 2021. Across all specialties, 47 percent reported feeling burned out last year. 

Here's how each specialty stacked up: 

Note: This list includes ties. 

1. Emergency medicine — 60 percent of physicians reported burnout

2. Critical care — 56 percent

3. Obstetrics and gynecology — 53 percent 

4. Infectious diseases — 51 percent 

Family medicine — 51 percent

5. Physical medicine and rehabilitation — 50 percent 

Diabetes and endocrinology — 50 percent

6. Radiology — 49 percent

7. Pediatrics — 49 percent

8. Pulmonary medicine — 48 percent

Gastroenterology — 48 percent

Internal medicine — 48 percent 

Urology — 48 percent

9. Anesthesiology — 47 percent

10. Rheumatology — 46 percent

Neurology — 46 percent 

11. General surgery — 44 percent

12. Cardiology — 42 percent 

Allergy and immunology — 42 percent

13. Nephrology — 40 percent 

Plastic Surgery — 40 percent 

Ophthalmology — 40 percent

14. Psychiatry — 38 percent

15. Otolaryngology — 37 percent

Orthopedics — 37 percent

16. Oncology — 36 percent

17. Pathology — 35 percent

18. Dermatology — 33 percent

19. Public health and preventive medicine — 26 percent

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