Objective: Analysis of job satisfaction and intentions to quit among physicians working in psychiatric/psychosomatic care compared to physicians working in somatic care. Methods: Full postal survey of all physicians ≤ 40 years of age registered with the State Chamber of Physicians of Saxony (response rate 40 %, n = 2357). Analysis was restricted to physicians working in patient care (n = 1901). Results: Physicians working in psychiatric/psychosomatic care as well as those in somatic care were rather satisfied with their overall job situation (mean: 3.48 [standard deviation: 1.01] vs. 3.40 [0.94], 5 point Likert scale). Physicians working in psychiatric/psychosomatic care were less satisfied with only 2 out of 20 aspects of job satisfaction. Nearly a quarter wished to leave patient care or to go abroad, which did not differ from physicians working in somatic care. Conclusion: The present study did not confirm international results indicating lower job satisfaction among psychiatrists.
