Abstract
Background
Working conditions and training quality among pathologists in Türkiye remain insufficiently characterized. This study assessed professional experiences, satisfaction, workload, burnout, academic engagement, and career outlook among pathology residents, specialists, and academic staff practicing in Türkiye.
Methods
A cross-sectional, web-based survey was distributed to pathologists in Türkiye. The questionnaire covered demographics, institutional characteristics, motivations for choosing pathology, workload and overtime, satisfaction, burnout indicators, academic activity, and career expectations. Responses were analyzed descriptively and compared across career stages using the Kruskal–Wallis test for continuous or ordinal variables and the Chi-squared or Fisher exact test for categorical variables. Predictors of general job satisfaction were evaluated using multiple linear regression.
Results
Overall, 232 pathologists responded; 229 reported career stage, including residents (43.2%), specialists (41.5%), and academic staff (15.3%). Most participants worked in training and research hospitals or public universities. The leading motivations for choosing pathology were limited patient contact, absence of night shifts, and interest in the field. Burnout within the previous 6 months was reported by 76.1% and constant fatigue by 84.7%. General job satisfaction was low across all groups, particularly regarding protected research time, workload, and work–life balance. In regression analysis, overtime and administrative work predicted lower satisfaction, whereas diagnostic and research activities predicted higher satisfaction. Overtime was largely uncompensated and commonly expected by supervisors.
Conclusion
Pathology practice in Türkiye is marked by pervasive burnout, chronic fatigue, uncompensated overtime, and low satisfaction, with residents disproportionately affected. Reforms are needed to improve workload distribution, training conditions, work–life balance, and protected research time.