Study examines primary care doc satisfaction

A new Merritt Hawkins study reports that most family practitioners, internists and pediatricians are unhappy with their salary, which averages $150,000 annually. Sixty-eight percent of physicians reported that they were satisfied with their jobs, but the remainder said they "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied." Despite the fact that most primary care physicians like their job, however, only 37.6 said they would choose to go into primary care again if they had a second chance. More than a third said they would have chosen another specialty; almost 30 percent said they would not go in to medicine at all. The study also highlighted physician's concerns about the cost of operating their facilities. Most doctors say they spend 40 to 70 percent on operating costs while others report spending even more than that.

- for more information, see this report