Physicians who feel they ‘fit in’ experience less burnout—and entertain fewer thoughts of quitting or cutting back

Three-fifths of 14,000 physicians surveyed, 60%, enjoy a strong sense of belonging within their organization. Better yet, four-fifths, 80%, feel their teammates have their back.

The findings are from an American Medical Association study published March 30 in JAMA Network Open. 

Lead author Lindsey Carlasare, MBA, and colleagues hint at the relevance of the study to the ongoing physician shortage. 

The higher the sense of belonging and teammate support, they report, the lower the odds of burnout, intent to reduce work hours and intent to leave the job.  

How are we defining ‘belonging?’ 

Carlasare and co-authors suggest the need to belong is inherent to humans. A sense of belonging, they acknowledge, is only measurable by subjective criteria. 

However, experiencing that sense “reflects a person’s feeling of being accepted, connected and important within the systems around them,” the authors explain. 

“A sense of team support, which can influence a person’s sense of belonging at work, manifests from many factors, including the ability to rely on others, shared confidence that team members will perform their roles, and open and safe communication,” Carlasare and co-authors add.

Some demographics struggle more than others to feel secure 

For the study,  the researchers analyzed survey responses from doctors working across 85 U.S.-based healthcare organizations. 

The team found weaker perceptions of belonging tended to concentrate among women physicians as well as physicians who had more than five years of clinical practice. 

Female physicians “may be prevented from dedicating time to build strong connections at work more than males, as evidence shows that women physicians comparatively spend more time on family and home-related responsibilities,” Carlasare and colleagues comment. “Despite having better patient outcomes, female physicians are more likely than male physicians to leave clinical practice, an outcome organizations could potentially prevent by enhancing opportunities for belonging, collegiality and inclusion in the workplace.”

As for the subgroup with five years or more of practice, the authors surmise new physicians coming out of residency “may still maintain relationships with peers and feel a heightened sense of enthusiasm and collegiality. New physicians may also receive a high degree of attention through onboarding and mentorship activities,” they posit. 

Over time, they add, a once-robust sense of engagement with the workplace may fade due to heavier workloads, exposure to new practice demands, competition among colleagues or isolation within their specialty. 

Racial, ethnic groups among the belonging-challenged 

Other noteworthy findings from the study at hand: 

• Compared with White physicians, almost all racial or ethnic groups had lower odds of believing their teammates had their back.  
   
• Physicians who preferred not to disclose their sex and race or ethnicity also had lower odds of a strong sense of belonging and believing teammates had their back. 
   
• Practicing in a surgery specialty compared with primary care was associated with lower odds of a strong sense of belonging and believing teammates have their back.

‘Important implications for the physician workforce’ 

In their discussion section, Carlasare and co-authors remark:

“It is encouraging that high proportions of physicians surveyed experience a strong sense of belonging and feel their teammates have their back. Yet there is still work to be done, as nearly 4 of 10 physicians do not feel a strong sense of belonging in their organization.”

The full findings, the authors add, have “important implications” for physician wellbeing and the physician workforce. 

“Healthcare organizations should prioritize belonging and teammate support in their efforts to improve organizational culture, the work environment and physician well-being,” they remark. “These factors will prove to be valuable as organizations strive to retain a diverse and healthy physician workforce.”

The study is available in full for free.