One of the largest international surveys on job satisfaction among emergency department (ED) professionals found that overall satisfaction remains high, although several areas still need improvement, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress (EUSEM) 2025 in Vienna, Austria, published in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Most existing data on emergency physician satisfaction come from North America, China, and select European countries, with few international comparisons. This gap prompted the EUSEM Emergency Medicine Day (EMDay) Working Group to conduct a survey “to identify universal and context-specific factors that determine satisfaction and burnout.”

The survey was conducted by international EM organisations and included 1100 physicians, nurses, and paramedics working in both prehospital and hospital settings across 79 countries.

The primary outcome was the satisfaction score (range, 9-36), based on the nine-domain Lausanne scale. Overall job satisfaction was assessed separately using a single-item Likert scale (0-9).

The average overall satisfaction score among the participants was 25.37 out of 36. Scores varied by domain: Organisational commitment, colleague support, and professional fulfilment were high, whereas career opportunities and work organisation scored the lowest.

“Emergency medicine professionals face persistent challenges, including excessive workload, shift work, and emotional stress. Job satisfaction is essential for workforce sustainability, quality of care, and retention; however, international research remains limited,” said lead author Roberta Petrino, MD, EM Department, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland.

EM professionals in high-volume EDs with more than 100,000 visits per year reported significantly lower satisfaction.

According to the authors, nurses and paramedics consistently reported higher satisfaction scores than physicians, especially regarding workload and organizational factors. This discrepancy may reflect differences in role expectations, team dynamics, or systemic support mechanisms, prompting further investigation into interdisciplinary approaches to workforce well-being in the future.

Overall, satisfaction followed a U-shaped pattern by seniority: highest among early career (< 5 years) and late-career professionals (> 20 years) and lowest among mid-career professionals (5-20 years).

The authors highlighted, “The mid-career phase, with rising demands and fewer growth opportunities, may increase burnout risk.”

The authors recommended measures to support physicians, including dedicated triage staff and care flow coordinators to improve organisational efficiency; personalised mentoring, role diversification, and time for teaching or research to enhance professional growth; and access to psychological support, rest areas, and shared shift planning to reduce burnout.

EM Working Group Chair Basak Yilmaz, MD, from the Emergency Medical Services of Burdur Provincial Health Directorate, Burdur, Turkiye, said in a press release, “One of our most striking findings is the strong correlation between job satisfaction and professional retention. This is important not just for individual staff members but also for the sustainability of the EM system as a whole.”

This story was translated from Univadis Italy.