Fewer pediatricians report burnout now than at the height of the pandemic, according to a longitudinal study published in Pediatrics, but the researchers who documented the improvement took care to say the remaining level is not reassuring.
In 2021, 46.2 percent of participating pediatricians said they were experiencing burnout in their work. By 2025, that figure had fallen to 35.2 percent. Three related measures declined alongside it.
The authors declined to frame the result as good news on its own, writing that the overall prevalence "remains concerning and underscores the need for continued attention and action."
The Four Measures That Moved Together
The study was led by American Academy of Pediatrics researchers and drew on 2,353 participants in the AAP Pediatrician Life and Career Experience Study, a longitudinal cohort that follows the same pediatricians over time.
Participants indicated agreement or disagreement with four statements covering burnout, emotional exhaustion, disconnection or cynicism toward patients and families, and a sense of not accomplishing anything worthwhile at work.
Every measure improved. Emotional exhaustion severe enough that respondents felt they had nothing left to give fell from 22.7 percent to 14.9 percent. Cynicism or disconnection from patients and families dropped from 16.3 percent to 9.5 percent. The proportion feeling they were not accomplishing anything worthwhile slipped from 9.8 percent to 7.0 percent.
Improvement across all four measures rather than one is meaningful, since it suggests genuine change in working conditions rather than a shift in how a single question was interpreted.
A Gender Gap That Persisted Through the Improvement
The decline was not evenly distributed. In 2025, 37.1 percent of women in the cohort reported burnout compared with 29.9 percent of their male counterparts, a gap of more than seven percentage points.
That disparity is consistent with a broad body of physician workforce research. An AAP clinical report on physician health noted that surveys have found burnout 20 to 60 percent more prevalent among women physicians than among men, a difference frequently attributed to patient panel composition, administrative load, message volume from patients, and disproportionate caregiving responsibility outside work.
The study also identified conditions associated with lower burnout. Pediatricians who switched jobs, who gained more flexible work schedules, or who carried a less-full schedule reported less burnout, more energy and connection, and a stronger sense of accomplishment.
These are associations rather than proven causes. A pediatrician who reduces their schedule may be responding to burnout rather than preventing it, and the direction of that relationship cannot be determined from this design.
The Evidence and Its Limits
This research rests on self-report. Physicians indicated their own agreement with statements about their experience, which is standard in burnout research but means the measure captures perception rather than a clinical diagnosis. Burnout is an occupational phenomenon, not a psychiatric condition.
The longitudinal design is a genuine strength. Following the same cohort from 2021 through 2025 avoids the problem of comparing different groups of doctors at different moments, which has complicated interpretation of much prior burnout research. Participation ranged from 79 percent in 2021 to 74 percent in 2025.
Two limitations deserve mention. Participants who left clinical practice entirely may be underrepresented, which could make the improvement look larger than it is, since the most burned-out physicians are the most likely to exit. And 2021 was an extraordinary baseline. A decline from a pandemic peak is a return toward prior conditions rather than evidence that the underlying pressures have been solved.
As CIDRAP reported on the findings, the authors emphasized continued tracking, writing that it is important to keep measuring burnout because physician wellness "can impact career satisfaction and patient outcomes."
Families Encounter Workforce Strain at the Scheduling Desk
Physician burnout can read as an internal professional matter. For families, it shows up in access.
Burnout is associated in workforce research with physicians reducing hours, leaving practices and retiring earlier. In pediatrics, where the workforce is already stretched in rural counties and lower-income urban areas, those departures translate into longer waits for well-child visits, fewer same-day sick appointments, and longer drives to a specialist.
The pressure is also arriving alongside rising behavioral health demand. General pediatricians increasingly manage mental health concerns in the exam room, often without a child psychiatrist available to refer to. None of that is captured in a burnout percentage, and it is part of what the study authors gestured toward when they described ongoing challenges within the pediatric workforce.
Parents in areas with thin pediatric coverage have practical options. Booking well-child visits several months ahead is often necessary, especially before school-year physicals and sports clearances. Many practices hold same-day slots that open early in the morning. Nurse advice lines can help determine whether a child needs to be seen at all.
Families should know when to bypass scheduling entirely. Difficulty breathing, a fever in an infant under two months, unresponsiveness or extreme lethargy, seizure, dehydration with no wet diapers, or a rapidly worsening condition all warrant emergency care rather than waiting for an appointment.
The pediatric workforce picture will not turn on a single study. What this one establishes is that conditions improved measurably over four years, that roughly one in three pediatricians still reports burnout, and that women in the field carry more of it. The researchers plan continued tracking through the same cohort, and the academy publishes its findings from the cohort as they are released.
Key Questions Answered
How much did pediatrician burnout decline? Reported burnout fell from 46.2 percent in 2021 to 35.2 percent in 2025 among 2,353 pediatricians followed in the AAP PLACES cohort.
Why do researchers still call the level concerning? Roughly one in three pediatricians still reports burnout, and the authors noted continuing pressures on the pediatric workforce despite the improvement.
Did burnout fall equally for everyone? No. In 2025, 37.1 percent of women in the cohort reported burnout compared with 29.9 percent of men, a gap that persisted through the decline.
What was linked to lower burnout? Switching jobs, having a more flexible schedule, and carrying a less-full schedule were all associated with lower burnout, though causation was not established.
How was burnout measured? Through self-reported agreement with four statements about burnout, emotional exhaustion, cynicism toward patients, and sense of accomplishment at work.
Does this affect families seeking care? Indirectly. Burnout is associated with reduced hours and earlier departures, which can lengthen waits for appointments in areas with thin pediatric coverage.
When should a child be taken to emergency care? Difficulty breathing, fever in an infant under two months, unresponsiveness, seizure, dehydration, or rapid worsening all warrant emergency evaluation immediately.
