Physicians and advanced practice providers often see medicine as a calling when they begin their careers, but that sense of calling can fade over time and impact turnover, according to a survey on purpose in medicine released by Jackson Physician Search and LocumTenens.com. 

The report — Is Medicine Still a Calling? Exploring Physician Attitudes About Purpose in Medicine — found that 90% of physicians and APPs surveyed said they saw medicine as a calling when they began their careers; while half shared that their sense of calling has faded over time, another half of respondents, 50%, indicated high or fairly high levels of engagement at work. 

Across all respondents, 30% said they plan to leave their current employers in the next one to three years. And while turnover is driven by a variety of factors, clinicians who definitely see medicine as a calling are more likely to say they plan to stay with their current employers, the research states. Those who do not feel it is a calling are most likely to leave their current workplaces in the next one to three years. 

“For younger physicians, it’s often the exhaustion of residency or a first job that didn’t turn out as expected,” Helen Falkner, regional VP of recruiting at Jackson Physician Search, wrote in the report. “At every stage of their careers, many physicians are discouraged by the corporatization of medicine, administrative burdens, lack of autonomy and patient disrespect.” 

“Over time, those challenges can drain the joy from their work and make physicians feel disconnected from the reason they chose to practice medicine in the first place,” Falkner said. 

Those who reported medicine was a definite calling are more likely to feel satisfied with their jobs, saying they would pursue medicine again and encourage young people to pursue medicine as a career. When purpose and passion wane, 52% said problem-solving and making clinical decisions reignites them, and 49% report that patient interactions are also meaningful. 

More than 1,200 respondents working in both permanent and locum tenens roles responded to the survey, which was conducted in January.