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3mo ago

One in 10 Emergency Physicians Have Left the Specialty, CMAJ Study Finds

Widespread burnout from overcrowded emergency departments is driving reduced hours, higher attrition, threatening 24‑hour emergency care.

Paramedics bring a patient to the emergency department at St. Michael’s Hospital in downtown Toronto on July 14, 2022.
“This is the worst crisis that anyone could imagine. We are no longer able to provide the care that is required,” says the study's first author Dr. Kerstin de Wit.
Vancouver-based Dr. Kaitlin Stockton says at least five of her colleagues have left emergency medicine in the last few years.

Overview

  • A Canadian Medical Association Journal study published Monday found that, of 410 emergency physicians surveyed in 2025, 10% had left emergency medicine, 48% reduced clinical hours and 20% took time off.
  • The study measured high burnout, with about 65% of respondents scoring high for emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or both, and many described the health system as “broken.”
  • Younger physicians and women reported higher rates of burnout and were more likely to cut hours or consider leaving, raising concerns about future staffing and retention.
  • Respondents linked burnout to chronic ED overcrowding, long waits for inpatient beds, lack of primary‑care follow‑up and limited non‑clinical supports, which force emergency departments to shoulder unmet needs.
  • Professional leaders warn the trend could undermine 24‑hour ED coverage and are urging immediate workplace supports, provincial accountability for access and targeted investments ahead of federal transfer talks due in 2027.