New data show that physicians are leaving clinical medicine earlier than previous generations—and they’re citing different problems than their predecessors. Here’s a review of researchers’ findings.
Why are physicians quitting medicine younger?
Researchers surveyed 971 physicians who finished training between 2000 and 2022. They found that the average age for physicians leaving clinical medicine was 48.1 years. That’s nine years earlier than a similar survey conducted in 2008 found.
Physicians said they left medicine because of factors like burnout, chronic workplace stress, administrative burden, and unrealistic patient expectations. The 2008 survey, by comparison, found that physicians cited personal health issues, rising malpractice insurance premiums, perception of hassle, and lack of professional satisfaction as the reason for quitting medicine.
The 2026 survey found the leading reasons physicians quit included the “hassle factor” (cited by 44.7% of physicians) and stress (cited by 44.5%). Other top reasons cited by physicians for leaving clinical practice were unrealistic patient demands (41%) and lack of professional satisfaction (38.4%).
In the 2008 survey, by comparison, personal health issues were a major reason for leaving clinical practice (cited by 37.8% of physicians). The hassle factor back then came in as the No. 2 reason physicians were quitting medicine (32.5%%), followed by rising malpractice premiums (24.4%) and lack of professional satisfaction (23.6%).
Why are more women leaving medicine?
Researchers found that women left the profession at younger ages than men. While women in the survey had an average of nine years in clinical practice before leaving clinical practice, men had 12 years.
Female physicians were significantly more likely than male physicians to report leaving practice to care for young children (21.3% vs. 4.2%), care for other family members (7.9% vs. 0.6%), address health concerns (13.8% vs. 3.8%) and because the work was too stressful (31.7% vs. 12.9%).
The survey’s conclusions echo research published in April 2026 in the Journal of General Medicine, which found that among physicians who left clinical practice, the average age for women was 49 compared to 64 for men.
Workforce implications
The most recent survey, which was led by physicians working for the AMA, noted that physicians working “shorter clinical careers than in the past” will likely exacerbate physician shortages. Workforce experts predict that the U.S. faces a shortage of 36,500 physicians by 2036.
The study also noted that the rising number of women leaving medicine will be a problem as females account for a larger percentage of the physician workforce. In 2023-24, for example, females accounted for just over 55% of medical student, and nearly half of all medical residents are now women.
“Addressing the drivers of early clinical exit that affect women will be increasingly important as their representation in the physician workforce continues to grow,” researchers said.
