title: Burnout and career satisfaction among American surgeons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the incidence of burnout among American surgeons and evaluate personal and professional characteristics associated with surgeon burnout.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  : Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization that leads to decreased effectiveness at work. A limited amount of information exists about the relationship between specific demographic and practice characteristics with burnout among American surgeons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) were sent an anonymous, cross-sectional survey in June 2008. The survey evaluated demographic variables, practice characteristics, career satisfaction, burnout, and quality of life (QOL). Burnout and QOL were measured using validated instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the approximately 24,922 surgeons sampled, 7905 (32%) returned surveys. Responders had been in practice 18 years, worked 60 hours per week, and were on call 2 nights/wk (median values). Overall, 40% of responding surgeons were burned out, 30% screened positive for symptoms of depression, and 28% had a mental QOL score >1/2 standard deviation below the population norm. Factors independently associated with burnout included younger age, having children, area of specialization, number of nights on call per week, hours worked per week, and having compensation determined entirely based on billing. Only 36% of surgeons felt their work schedule left enough time for personal/family life and only 51% would recommend their children pursue a career as a physician/surgeon.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Burnout is common among American surgeons and is the single greatest predictor of surgeons' satisfaction with career and specialty choice. Additional research is needed to identify individual, organizational, and societal interventions that preserve and promote the mental health of American surgeons.
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Tait D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Shanafelt
authors.forename: Charles M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Balch
authors.forename: Gerald J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Bechamps
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Lotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dyrbye
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Satele
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Collicott
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Freischlag
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016526:Workload