Connecticut Doctors Unhappy with Medical Jobs

Many with medical jobs are unsatisfied with their work. Although doctors may receive the highest salaries in the healthcare industry, like nurses, they have many complaints about their jobs. This dissatisfaction is particularly strong in some areas

According to a recent survey conducted by the Connecticut State Medical Society, 30 percent of doctors in the state that participated reported that they were considering changing jobs due to the fact that they are dissatisfied with Connecticut’s medical environment. The Connecticut Post says that this unhappiness is rooted in a variety of reasons ranging from the high cost of malpractice insurance and the cost of doing business in the state to the low reimbursement rates for the services they render.

The survey found that 32 percent of the payments received by doctors came from Medicare and 13 percent came from Medicaid/HUSKY. Another 7 percent of patients were treated free of charge.

The Medical Society asked 1,077 doctors in 17 different specialties and found that 10 percent said they were currently planning on leaving Connecticut. Another 19 percent reported that they are considering changing their careers for the same reason. Almost 35 percent of those who participated said that it was “very difficult” for them to recruit new physicians to their practice.

All of this is extremely disconcerting when the severe shortage of workers to fill vacancies in many medical jobs is taken into consideration. High costs of medical school and other issues have caused fewer individuals to be make the decision to become doctors, despite the fact that the need for such professionals has never been greater.

Because of the shortage, many in these medical job are having to pick up the slack. The survey found that 47 percent of participants have already increased to number of hours they’re working. Despite this, they are unable to meet the demands of a growing population. In Connecticut the average number of days a patient has to wait for a doctor’s appointment is 17 days.

The shortage in the state is only expected to worsen in the coming years. According to the survey, 62 percent of the doctors that participated are already 50 years or older, meaning that Connecticut will lose over half of its physicians in the coming years.