For a majority of French people, a doctor would be the dream job, according to a CSA survey. This idealization does not correspond to the daily reality of doctors.
To become a doctor would be the dream of many French people. The profession is indeed at the top of the ideal professions, according to a survey (1) published this Wednesday and carried out by the CSA Institute.
Among the 17 choices offered to our fellow citizens, 13% therefore chose the profession of practitioner, ahead of that of veterinarian (10%) and the profession of actor (9%). Then follow the professions of business manager, teacher and engineer who are each cited by 8% of respondents, far ahead of the military (2%) and police (1%), at the end of the ranking.
Women more attracted to health
It is women who appreciate the health professions the most. 15% of them would choose the profession of doctor, against 11% of men. The same goes for the veterinary profession: 13% are in favor, against 7% for men.
Already, in its latest atlas of medial demography, the Order of Physicians confirmed that the proportion of women in the profession has been increasing for several years. They represented 44% of physicians in 2014, and 58% of new registrants in 2013, figures up compared to last year.
Doctors in burnout
However, in spite of comfortable incomes (85,000 euros per year for the liberals) and a certain prestige, the profession of doctor does not seem to be the panacea.
According to a recent study by the French Union for Free Medicine (UFML), nearly one in two doctors is in a situation of exhaustion. Several surveys carried out by regional medical associations have also revealed a rate of 40 to 45% of practitioners in burnout. The suicide rate is also 2.37 times higher among doctors than in other asset classes.
Another worrying sign, the younger generations of doctors are already affected by the phenomenon. “I recently supervised a thesis on burnout as part of my university activities. All general medicine residents were interviewed, said last year in Why actor Prof. Eric Galam, general practitioner, who in 2005 founded the first helpline for suffering doctors (AAPML 0826 004 580). And of the 4,000 who answered the questionnaire, half are already burned out. It is serious, because they are the doctors of tomorrow. ”
The professor of general medicine therefore regretted that this subject was not really discussed during medical studies.
(1) The survey was conducted online from April 14 to 16, 2015 with a nationally representative sample of 1,001 people aged 18 and over using the quota method.
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