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While overall burnout rates have shown modest declines, recent data indicates that physicians and medical students continue to face high levels of stress, depression and systemic challenges.
Recent national surveys and peer-reviewed analyses paint a sobering picture of mental health across medical training and practice. While some indicators—such as burnout rates among practicing physicians—show modest improvement, levels of stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion remain alarmingly high for both clinicians and students.
These trends carry significant implications for the stability of the healthcare workforce, the quality of patient care and the wellbeing of the next generation of medical professionals.
The 2025 Physicians Foundation Wellbeing Survey reports that physicians continue to experience pandemic-level emotional strain, despite a slight decline in burnout. More than half of respondents reported debilitating stress and large proportions reported anger, tearfulness or withdrawal from family and colleagues.¹
These findings underscore that even as health systems adapt, physicians continue to struggle under intensifying pressure:
Persistent burnout, even as rates fall
While burnout dropped from 60% to 54%, it remains widespread, signaling systemic issues in workload, reimbursement changes and administrative burden.¹
Stigma remains a barrier
Approximately 73% of physicians say there is stigma around seeking mental health care—slightly improved but still a major structural obstacle to getting help.¹
Independent surveys reinforce the trend
Additional 2025 data from Medscape show:
• 47% of physicians report burnout
• 24% report depression
• A majority would take a pay cut for a more balanced life²
A 2025 longitudinal study of U.S. first-year medical students found:
These results suggest that curriculum changes such as pass/fail grading have not yet translated into meaningful mental health improvements.
In a 2023 study published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine (JOM), entitled “Beyond burnout: a four-year survey of osteopathic medical student mental health and the implications for the development of wellness and mental health programs,” Ley, et al completed an annual prospective, voluntary, anonymous, cross-sectional survey of osteopathic medical students over a four-year period in medical school from 2016 to 2019. The conclusion states that “symptoms of burnout, depression and anxiety were observed throughout all four years of medical school, with increases starting after the first year. Early intervention is needed to support students’ mental health and increase access to care and resources.”4
These studies align with broader evidence showing that medical students have higher rates of major depression, generalized anxiety and burnout than their peers in the general population.3
Workforce stability
High stress and emotional fatigue contribute to declining job satisfaction, early retirement, specialty switching and reduced clinical productivity.
Patient care quality
Burnout and untreated mental health conditions are associated with higher error rates, impaired communication and lower patient satisfaction.
Pipeline sustainability
The fact that burnout is already entrenched in the first year of medical school suggests that the next generation of physicians may enter residency with baseline levels of distress, requiring early, structural interventions.
Across students and physicians, stigma around mental health persists, limiting help-seeking and exacerbating silent suffering.
The AOA’s Policy H330-A/24, Support for Safe Haven Non-Reporting Protection for Physicians,5 is based on the Federation of State Medical Boards’ (FSMB) Workgroup on Physician Wellness and Burnout 2018 Report6 and is aligned with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation policies.7
The AOA policy positions include:
The evidence is clear: mental health challenges among physicians and medical students remain critical, persistent and systemic. Although some indicators show improvement, rising stress and emotional strain highlight the need for coordinated action across medical schools, training programs, health systems and policy landscapes.
Investments in mental health resources, reductions in bureaucratic burden, structural curricular reforms and normalization of help-seeking must be prioritized to support current clinicians and ensure the long-term resilience of the medical workforce.
The following resources were compiled by the AOA Mental Health Workgroup to address physician and medical student mental health and suicide prevention:
Recognizing burnout, depression and suicidal ideation at every career stage
Fostering a supportive, safe and healthy environment by addressing these risks head-on with empathy
