Doctors Were Asked: "Would You Choose Medicine All Over Again?" These Specialties Had The Greatest %

In the 2011 Medscape report, 69% of physicians said they would choose medicine again and 61% would select their own specialty. This year, 64% would still choose medicine, but only 45% would select their own specialty. Furthermore, in 2011, half said they would choose their own practice setting, but this year only about a quarter (24%) would go that same route.



When looking at all specialties, nearly three quarters of family physicians (73%), 72% of rheumatologists, and 71% of internists would choose medicine again as a career. In the 2014 Medscape survey, internists and family physicians were also within the top three spots, but fewer reported that they would choose medicine again (68% and 67%) than they did this year. The least likely to choose medicine again were radiologists (49%), orthopedists (50%), and plastic surgeons (51%). Compensation levels do not appear to play a significant role in whether physicians would choose this profession again.




Although only 55% of dermatologists said they would choose medicine again, if they did, about three quarters (73%) would choose their own specialty. In second place, about two thirds (67%) of orthopedists would choose their own specialty, although only half of them would be physicians again. And at the bottom of the list, only 25% of internists and 32% of family physicians would want to be primary care doctors again, but both groups were within the top three of re-choosing medicine as a career.

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