The health and wellbeing of junior doctors: insights from a national survey

Junior doctors face specific pressures related to their professional stage and development and can be at risk of poor health. A confidential survey conducted in 2008 by the Australian Medical Association Council of Doctors in Training investigated the health and wellbeing of junior doctors. There were 914 completed surveys: 71% of junior doctors were concerned about their own health, and 63% about the health of a colleague. A majority of junior doctors met well established criteria for low job satisfaction (71%), burnout (69%) and compassion fatigue (54%). The early stages of a medical career are demanding, and the health and wellbeing of junior doctors must be a personal priority, as well as the responsibility of the medical profession in general, to ensure a healthy medical workforce in the future. MJA 2009; 191: 441-444