A survey by LocumTenens.com also found that 39% of physicians and advanced practice providers reported increased levels of stress and burnout due to the pandemic, with the most burned-out specialties being oncology, hospital medicine, critical care medicine and emergency medicine.

Millennials reported the highest level of burnout due to Covid-19 at 49%, while 43% of women felt burnout versus 33% of men.

In addition, 63% of physicians and advanced practice providers have taken time off from practicing or plan to do so within a year, and that could leave fewer providers to deliver care, LocumTenens.com reported.

“We are continuing to see healthcare organizations face staffing shortages, which will likely worsen in the coming months as more clinicians take time off from practicing or make career changes,” said Chris Franklin, president of LocumTenens.com.

“The pandemic highlighted gaps in existing employment strategies and gave some providers time to reconsider priorities,” Franklin continued. It’s now more important than ever that we are prepared to support the healthcare workforce to ensure patients have access to care.”

The survey included 2,300 responses from both physicians and advanced practitioners from all 50 states.

Among other findings:

• 14% of physicians and advanced practitioners are still unemployed after being furloughed or laid off last years.
• 41% of clinicians plan to change jobs within the next year.
• Many clinicians said their salaries decreased because of Covid-19. The most common reason cited was due to cut hours or reduced pay, often because of a lack of patients.
• On the flip side, 20% of critical care physicians and 11% of hospitalists saw an increase in salary due to Covid-19, as the virus led them to be vital to the influx of hospitalized patients.