A recent survey of nearly 5,000 physicians from Medscape helps shed light on what physicians like and dislike most about employment and self-employment.
Here are eight key findings.
- Once a physician is employed, they often don’t look back. Medscape found twice as many physicians (27 percent) have switched from self-employment to employment as those who have made the opposite change (13 percent).
- The most common reason physicians choose employment is for financial security (36 percent), followed by work-life balance (26 percent) and fewer administrative responsibilities (15 percent).
- However, once physicians are employed, the perk they like most about employment is not having to deal with the business of running a practice.
- The most disliked aspect of employment is the lack of autonomy.
- Self-employed and employed physicians are about equally satisfied with their income, and feel an equal sense of pride and accomplishment.
- On the whole, self-employed physicians are happier — 63 percent reported job satisfaction, compared to 53 percent of employed physicians.
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