Six physician specialties saw lower rates of burnout between 2024 and 2026, but still reported lower rates of happiness.
Becker’s compiled Medscape’s “Physician Mental Health & Well-Being Report” in 2025 and 2026 to determine the rate of happiness change. To calculate burnout, Becker’s used the American Medical Association’s 2026 Organizational Biopsy, published April 16; Medscape’s “‘If Boundaries Are Set, It Is Possible’: Medscape Physician Mental Health & Well-Being Report” for 2025 and 2024, and American Medical Association’s national physician comparison report for 2023 and 2022. Becker’s then calculated the change in burnout for 20 physician specialties by using the most recent rate and comparing it to a previous year’s rate. Specialties that did not have at least two years of burnout rate data were excluded from the list.
Six specialties saw lower burnout rates but reported lower happiness, including pediatrics, endocrinology, psychiatry, family medicine, pathology and general surgery.
On the other end, three specialties had an increase in burnout but reported an increase in happiness too. Neurology had a 17% jump in burnout but saw a 9% increase in happiness. Similarly, oncology and hematology saw 4.3% burnout gains, and reported 3% increase in happiness; and plastic surgery had a 5 percent increase in burnout and 3% increase in happiness,
Here are 20 specialties with their happiness rate along with their change in burnout according to the most recent data. The specialties that saw the greatest increase in happiness are listed first.
Neurology
Happiness change: +9%
Burnout rate: 61% (2025)
Prior burnout rate: 44% (2024)
Change: +17 percentage points
Radiology
Happiness change: +7%
Burnout rate: 45.2% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 51% (2024)
Change: -5.8 percentage points
Gastroenterology
Happiness change: +6%
Burnout rate: 43.5% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 43% (2025)
Change: +0.5 percentage points
Dermatology
Happiness change: +4%
Burnout rate: 31.5% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 46% (2025)
Change: -14.5 percentage points
Nephrology
Happiness change: +3%
Burnout rate: 29.3% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 46% (2024)
Change: -16.7 percentage points
Oncology/hematology
Happiness change: +3%
Burnout rate: 49.3% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 45% (2025)
Change: +4.3 percentage points
Plastic surgery
Happiness change: +3%
Burnout rate: 42% (2025)
Prior burnout rate: 37% (2024)
Change: +5 percentage points
Urology
Happiness change: +3%
Burnout rate: 49.5% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 57% (2025)
Change: -7.5 percentage points
Emergency medicine
Happiness change: +1%
Burnout rate: 49.8% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 56% (2025)
Change: -6.2 percentage points
OB-GYN
Happiness change: +1%
Burnout rate: 45.7% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 50% (2025)
Change: -4.3 percentage points
Internal medicine
Happiness change: 0%
Burnout rate: 50% (2024)
Prior burnout rate: 51.4% (2023)
Change: -1.4 percentage points
Ophthalmology
Happiness change: 0%
Burnout rate: 25.8% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 45% (2025)
Change: -19.2 percentage points
Orthopedics
Happiness change: -1%
Burnout rate: 45% (2025)
Prior burnout rate: 44% (2024)
Change: +1 percentage point
Pediatrics
Happiness change: -1%
Burnout rate: 48% (2025)
Prior burnout rate: 51% (2024)
Change: -3 percentage points
Cardiology
Happiness change: -2%
Burnout rate: 43.5% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 38% (2025)
Change: +5.5 percentage points
Diabetes and endocrinology
Happiness change: -2%
Burnout rate: 42% (2025)
Prior burnout rate: 44% (2024)
Change: -2 percentage points
Psychiatry
Happiness change: -2%
Burnout rate: 31.6% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 40% (2025)
Change: -8.4 percentage points
Family medicine
Happiness change: -3%
Burnout rate: 45% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 52% (2025)
Change: -7 percentage points
Pathology
Happiness change: -5%
Burnout rate: 28.3% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 41% (2024)
Change: -12.7 percentage points
General surgery
Happiness change: -8%
Burnout rate: 43.8% (2026)
Prior burnout rate: 45% (2024)
Change: -1.2 percentage points
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