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With the increase in student debt, physician burnout, and the physician shortage, you might wonder how happy physicians are outside of work. In a study conducted by Medscape, a reported 75% of physicians responded that they were happy with their personal lives. Rheumatologists, otolaryngologists, endocrinologists, and pediatricians were among the happiest specialists.

There’s a strong correlation between happiness at home and happiness in the workplace. If you struggle in either area, consider implementing the following changes into your life if you haven’t already.

Spend Less Personal and Professional Time on the Internet

Nearly all physicians spend less personal time on the internet (up to 10 hours/week) than the average American (21-30 hours). 76% of physicians surveyed spent 10 hours or less on the internet for professional use.

Take More Vacations

Physicians are likely to spend more time than the average American on vacation. 43% of physicians in this study are taking 3-4 weeks of vacation per year, and 23% are taking 5 weeks or more.

Evaluate the Role That Your Position Has on Your Self-Esteem

80% of physicians say that their role as a physician has impacted their self-esteem in either a ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ way. While none reported having a ‘very negative’ impact, there was a 4% negative reporting and a 16% response of ‘neither positive nor negative’.

Schedule Time for Exercise as Part of Your Routine

34% of physicians exercise 2 to 3 times per week, 24% say they exercise 4 to 5 times per week, and 11% say they exercise everyday. Staying active is an important factor in maintaining health and can help relieve stress.

Make the Most of Life Outside of Work

Three quarters of physicians are happy with their personal lives, with the other 25% being at some level of unhappy with life outside of work. The happiest physicians were allergists, dermatologists, emergency physicians, and ophthalmologists. The least happy physicians were cardiologists and infectious disease specialists, in that position for the second year in a row.

Explore Ways to Improve Your Work Environment

In addition to changing conditions of your responsibilities, you should consider looking into your work relationships. Another survey conducted by CompHealth suggests that relationships are the key to happiness. Physicians who reported having ‘many friends’ at work were also most likely to report having a higher life satisfaction.

Shifting focus from patients to administrative responsibilities and filling out extra paperwork are primary factors in physician burnout. Hiring an additional physician assistant or nurse practitioner for your practice can relieve some of that stress as they can assist you with daily responsibilities and managing your workload. Partnering with Enterprise Medical Recruiting can help you find the perfect fit for the position and save you time and resources while navigating the hiring process.