Sports Medicine Physician Burnout—American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Survey Findings

Objectives: – Sports medicine is not identified as a separate specialty in published surveys on burnout. The goal of this study is to determine the burnout rate among US sports medicine physicians by surveying the membership of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and to assess contributing factors to their burnout.Design: – Burnout was assessed using the Mini Z Burnout Survey. In addition, the survey included questions specific to sports medicine focusing on; time allocation, job fulfillment, stress from work activities, and appreciation by leadership.Setting: – AMSSM members were invited to complete the cross-sectional survey through the official email listserv.Participants: – Physician members of the AMSSM.Interventions: – None.Main Outcome Measure: – Burnout rate among sports medicine physicians.Results: – Five hundred thirty-one of the 3436 eligible physician members completed the survey, with a response rate of 15.45%. Burnout rate among sports medicine physicians was 50%, which is comparable with other primary care fields. Administrative task burdens, lack of value alignment with leadership, and inadequate time and compensation for work performed outside of clinic (eg team coverage) were key drivers of burnout among sports medicine physicians.Conclusions: – Sports medicine physicians burnout rate of 50% is similar to other primary care fields. Sports medicine physicians can use these data to advocate for systemic change at all levels to develop wellness and burnout mitigation strategies. More research is needed to evaluate causes of burnout in sports medicine physicians and assess prevention strategies.