Physician turnover rates and job stability in interventional spine and pain practices: Results of an IPSIS survey study

Background: Physician turnover and job instability have profound implications for healthcare systems, private facilities, and patient outcomes. High physician turnover disrupts continuity of care, impedes establishment of patient-physician relationships, and may compromise overall healthcare quality.

Objective: This survey study explores the rate of job turnover in the field of Interventional Spine and Pain Medicine, based on a 2022 survey of physicians of the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society.

Methods: A standardized, anonymous survey was distributed by email via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software to physician members of the International Pain and Spine Interventional Society (IPSIS).

Results: Our survey results indicate that interventional spine/pain physicians with initially lower starting salaries were more likely to leave their first job. We also found that those currently in a productivity-based compensation models were more likely to have left their first job.

Conclusions: Of the interventional pain and spine physicians who had been in practice for at least three years, over 65% reported leaving their initial job after training.