Happy doctors? Balancing professional and personal commitments
==============================================================

* Mark O. Baerlocher

A recent Pulse article (*CMAJ* 2006;174[8]:1070) gave a glimpse into the degree of satisfaction specialists reported having with their current professional lives. In this issue, additional results from the 2004 CFPC/CMA/RCPSC National Physician Survey reveal some more surprises, this time with how respondents viewed the balance between their personal and professional lives.

As Fig. 1 shows, physicians in specialties such as cardiology, urology and radiation oncology, which are often perceived as having better lifestyles (i.e., better work hours and lighter call schedules, and therefore more time for personal commitments) were among the 10 least satisfied specialist groups. Physicians among the 10 most satisfied groups, including physiatry, ophthalmology, psychiatry, dermatology and radiology, were less of a surprise.

![Figure1](http://www.cmaj.ca/https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/174/13/1831/F1.medium.gif)

[Figure1](http://www.cmaj.ca/content/174/13/1831/F1)

**Fig. 1:** Proportion of physicians who were somewhat or very satisfied with the balance between their personal and professional commitments, by specialty. Source: 2004 CFPC/CMA/RCPSC National Physician Survey. *Includes CCFP and non-CCFP family physicians.

Less than 50% of the members of 7 specialist groups (respirology, urology, endocrinology/metabolism, gastroenterology, medical oncology, hematology and biochemistry) were “somewhat” or “very” satisfied with the balance between their professional and personal commitments.

The low satisfaction rates among Canada's physician workforce is an impetus for further examination of this issue. There is ample literature on physician well-being, and although few would probably question that progress has been made, it is clearly not yet enough.