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Many top doctors are walking away from medicine. Learn the surprising reasons behind this shift and what it means for healthcare.

Doctors face rising burnout. Here’s how many are quietly saying “no more” and redefining balance in today’s healthcare system.

Every year, thousands of physicians quit their jobs leaving hospitals, clinics, and academic centers behind. When they go, most organizations conduct exit interviews to gather feedback on salary, workload, or management. But there’s a deeper conversation that almost never happens: the emotional exit interview. This is the chance for doctors to honestly express how their hearts have been bruised by the very profession they once loved—and for institutions to learn what truly drives physicians away.

Burnout in medicine is often described as the invisible epidemic, a silent crisis

Many physicians stay in their roles but have quietly “quit” in spirit—going through the motions while their passion and engagement vanish.

Let me confess something that might sound ridiculous coming from a doctor: for most of my career, I treated rest like a threat. A sign of weakness. A guilty pleasure to be earned only after I’d answered every email, seen every patient, signed off every note, and probably rotated the tires on someone else’s car just to be safe.

Is the motive behind resilience training to retain staff so that the system can continue to stay revenue-positive, or is it an investment in the ultimate resource of medicine, the human one?

I am just a physician who has spent 20+ years in the ER, had a few leadership roles along the way (which makes for a mildly robust LinkedIn profile), and nurtured some wisdom too. I think that is enough.

After burning out, I learned that chasing a perfect 50/50 work-life balance is unrealistic—especially in medicine. Instead, I now embrace asymmetric balance, where some days work wins, and others, life does.

Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, is a critical component of effective healthcare delivery. Yet, numerous reports and studies indicate that a lack of psychological safety persists in many healthcare settings, leading to adverse outcomes for both patients and providers.

The cost of physician burnout and mental illness extends beyond individual suffering; it significantly impacts healthcare organizations’ financial health. Yet investing in mental health support for physicians yields significant returns.

Despite the availability of traditional support systems like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and institutional wellness initiatives, a significant number of physicians continue to grapple with burnout, depression, and other mental health challenges. This disconnect prompts a critical examination of why these support structures often fall short for those in the medical profession.