A new study reveals nearly 10% of surgeons leave clinical practice within eight years, with plastic and reconstructive surgery facing a 19.3% attrition rate.
Nearly one in 10 surgeons leave active clinical practice within eight years, according to a new study from researchers at The Ohio State University and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, indicate that plastic and reconstructive surgery is among the specialties with the highest loss of practitioners.
The retrospective study analyzed a cohort of 224,629 surgeons across 19 specialties between 2013 and 2023. While the overall cumulative attrition rate was 9.7% over eight years, certain subspecialties saw significantly higher departures. Plastic and reconstructive surgery reported a five-year accumulative attrition rate of 19.3%, trailing only oral and maxillofacial surgery (25.1%) and obstetrics and gynecology (23.2%).
In contrast, the lowest annual attrition rates were observed in podiatry (0.4%), otolaryngology (0.5%), orthopedic surgery (0.7%), and vascular surgery (0.8%).
“Surgeons deliver a disproportionate amount of high-severity, sensitive health care, which is especially critical right now in a country with an aging population,” says Timothy M Pawlik, MD, PhD, FACS, a surgical oncologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and co-author on the study, in a release. “These findings show that surgical attrition is a real problem and that we need to address it in a nuanced and tailored way, focusing on certain subspecialties that are highest risk, and focusing on mid-level providers who are most likely to leave surgery.”
The data show that mid-career surgeons with five to nine years of practice are most likely to leave the profession. Attrition rates remained steady from 2013 to 2018 but rose sharply in 2020, which researchers attribute to higher retirement rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Demographic shifts were also noted over the 10-year study period. The percentage of female surgeons increased from 21.2% to 28.6%, while the percentage of surgeons practicing in rural and non-metropolitan areas declined from 10.5% to 8.5%.
While the study did not examine the specific reasons for departure, the researchers suggest the data can help inform policy changes and retention strategies. Recently, the American College of Surgeons released a national workplace standards framework for surgeons designed to improve workforce sustainability and well-being.
“By identifying who is most likely to leave, we can create targeted retention strategies to support surgeons most likely to leave, and close these gaps,” says Pawlik in a release.
