New results from Doctors Manitoba’s Annual Physician Survey along with preliminary data from the Canadian Medical Association’s 2025 National Physician Health Survey show physician wellness has improved since the peak of the pandemic but is still worse than before COVID-19 arrived. 

Why it Matters

Distress, burnout and mental health concerns reduce satisfaction with work, impact patient care, and pose a serious risk to retaining the physicians we have. 

Key Findings

Overall, doctors are still struggling with excessive workloads, exhaustion and burnout, leading some to reduce clinical hours or consider leaving practice altogether. Physicians are seeking more support, however, and report better satisfaction with their work-life balance. 

Burnout and distress:

These two key metrics monitor the impact of continued stress in physician practice, recognizing that burnout is an occupational health condition.

🍁 Across Canada, the rate of burnout among physicians declined from 53% in 2021 to 46% in 2025, the CMA’s report found. However, burnout rates are much higher than before the pandemic when 31% of physicians were experiencing burnout.

🌾 Manitoba’s data shows a similar trend, declining from a peak of 54% during the pandemic to 48% this year. 

Mental health:

Nationally, 46% of physicians rated their mental health as slightly or much worse than five years ago. 

🍁 42% of physicians nationally are showing signs of depression, an improvement from 48% during the pandemic, but still higher than 34% pre-COVID. 

🌾 In Manitoba, 30% are showing signs of depression, down from a high of 35% during the pandemic. 

11% of physicians across Canada have experienced suicidal thoughts in the last 12 months. In Manitoba, we found 5% had recent suicidal ideation. 

Contributing factors:

Long hours, administrative burden, misinformation, and harassment are the leading contributors of physician burnout and distress. 

⏰ Canada’s physicians work an average 53 hours per week, with 10.4 of those hours spent on administrative tasks. The CMA found two thirds (64%) of physicians spend a significant amount of time outside of work hours on their EMR. 

📝 Manitoba’s doctors spend 10.1 hours per week on administrative tasks and paperwork according to our 2023 administrative burden survey, with 44% of this deemed unnecessary. 

⚠️ 77% of Canada’s physicians say their work is negatively impacted by health misinformation, a top concern in Mantioba as well. 

🚩 74% have experienced bullying, harassment, microaggressions or discrimination, which mirrors what we see in Manitoba. 

Supporting Existing and Future Physicians

The CMA’s research found the leading ways to retain and attract physicians include: 

• Reducing administrative burden
• Supporting team-based care
• Promoting safe work environments 
• Improving interoperability with better connected health systems 

This matches what we hear from physicians in Manitoba too. 

In Manitoba, we are working hard to support the professional, mental, and physical well-being of physicians. In the last few years, we have: 

• Focused on reducing administrative burden in clinics and hospitals. 
• Expanded our Doc360 physician health supports. 
• Increased capacity in peer support and mentorship programs. 
• Supported physician health committees in several regions to improve consultation and engagement with front line physicians. 
• Advocated for more team-based care in Manitoba. 
• Created learning opportunities to support physician leaders.