The results of the 2004 CFPC/CMA/RCPSC National Physician Survey regarding respondents' satisfaction with their current professional life held some surprises. For example, geriatricians surveyed were among the top 10 most satisfied specialist groups, and diagnostic radiologists were among the bottom 10 (Fig. 1). Still, many popular conceptions were found to be true: specialties that many might consider to have better lifestyles (i.e., better work hours and lighter on-call schedules), such as dermatology, physiatry and psychiatry, were near the top of the list, whereas specialties with poorer lifestyles, such as family medicine and general surgery, were closer to the bottom.
Fig. 1: Degree of satisfaction with current professional life. Brown bars represent physicians who were very or somewhat satisfied; green bars represent those who were neutral about or were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their current professional life. Source: 2004 CFPC/CMA/RCPSC National Physician Survey. *Includes CCFP and non-CCFP family physicians.
These survey results might interest medical students as they try to decide which career path to follow. Furthermore, it might be worthwhile for the specialties closer to the bottom of the list to examine more closely the reasons for the lower satisfaction rates within their fields.
Despite previous reports that physicians are an unhappy group (CMAJ 2003;168[6]751-2), the results show that the majority of Canada's physicians are satisfied to some degree with their current professional life, with as many as 65.5% of physicians in the lowest ranked specialty (biochemistry) stating that they were at least “somewhat satisfied.”
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