MA Named One Of 2021's Worst States For Doctors: WalletHub

BOSTON — March 30 is National Doctors' Day, and with all health care professionals facing unprecedented challenges this year, personal finance website WalletHub compiled a new ranking to see which states were the best — and worst — for doctors to live and work. The list paints a grim picture for Massachusetts, which was near last place.

To compile the ranking, WalletHub examined 19 key metrics, ranging from starting salary and number of hospitals to the rate of physician burnout. Massachusetts was ranked 46 overall, just a few spots behind New Hampshire at number 42 and a little above Rhode Island in dead last.

Because being a physician is such a demanding job, Don Brady, the interim chair of Health Care Administration at Methodist University in North Carolina, encouraged students to figure out which specialty best suits them while in medical school.

"Doctors have very different lifestyles depending on their specialty," Brady said, explaining that an obstetrician/gynecologist can expect to be on call frequently on weekends and holidays, while emergency room doctors usually work a rotating schedule of three 12-hour shifts. "Medical students should determine the areas of medicine that interest them and then consider lifestyle. Doctors need to consider both for a happy life."

One of the factors that put Massachusetts so low on the list was the state's medical board, which was ranked the most punitive in the country. The state was also tied for 47th place for malpractice award payouts.

Here's a look at the top 10 states for doctors in 2021, according to WalletHub.

1. Montana
2. Minnesota
3. Idaho
4. Wisconsin
5. Kansas
6. Tennessee
7. North Dakota
8. Nebraska
9. Mississippi
10. Iowa

See the full ranking on WalletHub's website.