1207 - Burnout and other related factors ranked and compared across specialties: Where does PM&R rank?

Thursday, February 19, 2026

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM AST

Presenting Author(s)

JW

Jerome P. Watts, BS

Medical Student
Howard University College of Medicine
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Co-Author(s)

AA

Anushka Acharya, BS

Medical Student
Howard University College of Medicine
Washington, DC, District of Columbia, United States

Submitter(s)

JW

Jerome P. Watts, BS

Medical Student
Howard University College of Medicine
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Objectives: Over time burnout has become increasingly recognized as a major contributor to medical errors and diminished professional fulfillment, with clinically significant implications for the healthcare workforce and patient outcomes. This report compares demographic factors and contributors to burnout across medical specialties, providing a foundation for specialty-focused interventions to shape a healthier workforce.

Design: We performed a targeted literature review using terms such as (burnout) AND (physician workforce) in the NCBI database. We also utilized demographic data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, specialty-specific insights from the 2023 Medscape Physician Reports, and peer-reviewed studies examining burnout risk factors across specialties. We compiled this data to plot, compare, and rank demographic factors across different specialties.

Results: Of all 29 specialties examined, PM&R was ranked 22nd in burnout. In regard to racial demographics: African-American (5th), Hispanic (8th), Asian (10th), Native American (8.5th), Multiracial (8.5th), and White (17th). PM&R ranked 13th for proportion of female-identifying physicians , and 16th for male-identifying physicians. Physiatry ranked 23rd in physicians under the age of 40 and 7th for those over 40 years, and was the second most DO (2nd) friendly specialty behind Family Medicine. In regard to practice type, PM&R was ranked in the top 10 for Office-based (7th) but less likely to operate in administration (29th), medical teaching (29th), research (29th), and hospital-based (25th) contexts. PM&R also ranked 20.5th in overall happiness and 21st in annual compensation.

Conclusions: This report presents PM&R as one of the most diverse and least “burnt out” specialties. However, correlative and causal-comparative studies are necessary to establish relationships between factors such as workforce composition, practice setting, and burnout. With substantiated relationships, programs can develop targeted initiatives to promote physician wellness and healthcare workforce stability.