, according to Medscape’s 2020 Lifestyle, Happiness, and Burnout Report.
About 41% of dermatologists reported being very happy at work, making their specialty the only one to break the 40% barrier. While dermatologists weren’t the happiest outside of work – that honor went to rheumatologists – dermatology was only 4 percentage points behind (60% vs. 56%).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the percentage of dermatologists who were burned out was lower than that of physicians overall (36% vs. 41%). The biggest factors leading to burnout in dermatologists were an overabundance of bureaucratic tasks (58%), increased time devoted to EHRs (38%), and compliance with government regulations (35%).
Dermatologists dealt with burnout through a variety of ways, with the most common being exercise (44%), talk with family/friends (44%), and isolation from others (40%). In addition, dermatologists took slightly more vacation time than did physicians overall, with 51% of dermatologists taking 3-4 weeks of vacation, compared with 44% for physicians overall.
About 16% of dermatologists have contemplated suicide; however, none reported attempting suicide, and 72% of dermatologists have never felt suicidal. Most dermatologists also plan to deal with burnout or depression on their own, with only 31% reporting that they are currently seeking professional help, planning to seek help, or are not currently looking but have been treated in the past.
The Medscape survey was conducted from June 25 to Sept. 19, 2019, and involved 15,181 physicians.