Top Factors of Job Satisfaction

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Despite concern about the future of medicine and the threat of industry changes, these eight factors are the biggest drivers of job satisfaction among physicians.

Despite the boom in health care hiring, most physicians are concerned about the future of the profession and view the many changes the industry is going through as threats, according to a Deloitte study.

The 2013 Survey of U.S. Physicians revealed that despite pessimism over the future of medicine, nearly seven out of 10 physicians are satisfied with practicing medicine. Primary care physicians were the least satisfied (just 59%) and younger age groups were more satisfied (80% among those aged 25 to 39).

According to the physician respondents, the most satisfying factor about practicing medicine is the patient relationships. On the other hand, one of the greatest elements of job dissatisfaction was that physicians had less time for each patient.

Here are the top drivers of physician job satisfaction and the percent of physicians that chose that factor as the most important:

Patient relationships: 37%

Protecting and promoting the health of individuals: 32%

Intellectual stimulation: 19%

Financial rewards: 5%

Interacting with colleagues: 3%

Prestige of medicine: 2%

Leading a team of health professionals: 1%

Running a business/administering a health care organization: 1%

While many of the physicians surveyed believe that the performance of the U.S. health care system is suboptimal, they admitted that the Affordable Care Act is a good start to addressing issues of access and cost.

“Physicians recognize that ‘the new normal’ may necessitate major changes in the profession that require them to practice in a different setting as part of a larger organization that uses technologies and team-based models for patient care,” DCHS Executive Director Paul Keckley, PhD, said in a statement.

Two-thirds of all physicians expect to see increased consolidation into larger organizations. Of the physicians who did consolidated in the past year or two, most did so in order to gain or retain income security (29%) followed by gaining leverage negotiation power with payers (21%).

“Affirming unique value of the profession, open communication and information sharing; structural features that actively engage physicians in leadership roles; and persistent sharing of credible data about safety, outcomes, costs and patient experiences are requisite to health care organizations seeking a mutually satisfying, effective business relationship with physicians,” Keckley said.