The burden of choice: decision regret in subspecialty selection among young and middle-aged doctors

TL;DR

This study explores how young and middle-aged Chinese doctors feel about their subspecialty choices, finding that nearly 20% experience high regret, influenced by factors like burnout and job satisfaction.

Contribution

The study identifies key predictors of decision regret in subspecialty selection among physicians, including burnout, job satisfaction, and resilience.

Findings

9.4% of physicians reported high decision regret regarding subspecialty selection.

Burnout was a significant predictor of higher regret, while job satisfaction and resilience reduced it.

Younger male physicians with higher professional titles were more likely to experience regret.

Abstract

Subspecialty choice plays a pivotal role in physicians’ career satisfaction and professional trajectory. However, decision regret regarding subspecialty selection has been underexplored, despite its potential impact on well-being and retention.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 615 young and middle-aged physicians (aged 25–55) from secondary and tertiary hospitals in China. Participants completed an online questionnaire including the Decision Regret Scale (DRS), a simplified Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Statistical analyses involved ANOVA, Spearman’s correlation, and multivariate linear regression to identify factors associated with decision regret.

Among participants, 9.4% reported high regret, 37.6% moderate regret, and 53.0% low regret. Higher regret was significantly associated with male gender (P = 0.039), younger age (P = 0.019), and higher professional title (P = 0.003). Regression analysis revealed that greater burnout (B = 1.521, P < 0.001) predicted higher regret, while higher job satisfaction (B = − 0.339, P < 0.001) and resilience (B = − 0.588, P = 0.001) were protective factors.

Nearly one in five young and middle-aged Chinese physicians experience high regret in subspecialty choice, influenced by gender, age, burnout, satisfaction, and resilience. Targeted interventions addressing these factors may mitigate regret and enhance physician well-being and retention.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-026-08858-9.