The best and worst states for doctors to practice medicine

What’s the best city in the U.S. to practice medicine? According to a new ranking, it’s Minneapolis.

The worst? It’s New Orleans, which also has the least healthy population, according to Medscape’s Best Places to Practice 2017 report. For this year's rankings, the publication focused on locations that could help physicians avoid burnout and reduce stress with a calmer, happier lifestyle.

The best places to practice were also determined by factors such as fewer lawsuits, less punitive medical boards, teamwork with physician assistants and nurse practitioners and, of course, income levels.

But they also considered factors such as cultural attractions, golf amenities and bike-, pet- and walk-friendly communities. The worst were assessed based on factors such as high malpractice, divorce and crime rates.

The top five cities:

  1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
  2. Madison, Wisconsin
  3. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  4. Des Moines, Iowa
  5. Burlington, Vermont

And the five worst:

  1. New Orleans, Louisiana
  2. Phoenix, Arizona 
  3. Las Vegas, Nevada
  4. Albuquerque, New Mexico
  5. Tulsa, Oklahoma

The report also lists the 10 medical specialties most likely to cause burnout, with emergency medicine the most stressful. Surprisingly, family medicine and plastic surgery also made the list, but oncology did not.

RELATED: A simple cure for burnout? Bring back the doctors’ lounge

A survey of more than 14,000 physicians released earlier this year shows that physician burnout has increased by 25% in just four years. 

At the same time, more physicians appeared satisfied with their career choice, said Leslie Kane, senior director of Medscape Business of Medicine.

Fargo, North Dakota, which ranked number 8 on the list of best cities, was also the community with the highest physician income. Tulsa was the most dangerous city to practice medicine, while Omaha, Nebraska, was the best city for families. Columbia, Maryland, was the best city for pet lovers.