Quick answer: General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #87 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 51.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are responsibility burden and emotional demands.
General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers stress profile vs the national average
Each occupation is scored across six categories of workplace mental health hazard, built from 22 stress factors identified in SafeWork Australia's occupational hazards data. Higher scores mean greater exposure.
- Emotional demands49 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden86 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands55.6 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control6.9 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony69.1 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment39.8 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for general practitioners and resident medical officers
Compared with the average Australian occupation, general practitioners and resident medical officers score furthest above the norm on responsibility burden (86 vs 60 average), emotional demands (49 vs 37.9 average) and physical environment (39.8 vs 38.2 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is frequency of decision making at 100/100 — against an all-occupation average of 70.7.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (6.9 vs 24.5) and pace and demands (55.6 vs 56), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for general practitioners and resident medical officers
- 1Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
100/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 2Responsibility burden
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
99.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.4
- 3Responsibility burden
Consequence of Error
99.2/100
All-occupation average: 49
- 4Physical environment
Physical Proximity
99.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 5Physical environment
Exposed to Disease or Infections
94.5/100
All-occupation average: 20.2
All 22 stress factors for general practitioners and resident medical officers
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
49 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People16.8 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People66 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations64.2 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
86 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results80.8 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety67.8 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results99.8 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error99.2 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others82.2 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
55.6 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure93 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week55 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment1 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making100 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition29 vs 52.4
Lack of control
6.9 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions0.5 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work13.2 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
69.1 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks44.2 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate94 vs 78.6
Physical environment
39.8 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable5.2 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting0 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures0 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections94.5 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity99.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for general practitioners and resident medical officers map to recognised psychosocial work factors under ISO 45003 and Australian WHS legislation. Learn what each one is and how it can be controlled:
- Exposure to Violence →Whether workers face the risk of physical or verbal aggression at work.
- Exposure to Trauma →Whether workers encounter traumatic events or material as part of their role.
- Work Interaction →The quality of relationships and interactions within the team and organisation.
- Work Demands →The volume, pace, and complexity of what is asked of workers.
- Role Clarity →Whether workers clearly understand what is expected of them.
- Leadership →The quality and consistency of management behaviour at all levels.
Methodology
Clearhead scored 317 occupations in the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) using SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. We kept only the 22 hazard variables relating to mental health — such as conflict exposure, decision-making pressure, and time pressure — and deliberately excluded physical safety risks like working at height.
The 22 variables are grouped into six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment. An occupation's composite score is the equally weighted average of its six category scores. All scores run 0–100, where higher means more stress-inducing.
Two control-related variables are reported by SafeWork with inverted polarity (“freedom to make decisions” and “structured versus unstructured work”). We reverse these and present them as lack of autonomy to make decisions and amount of highly structured work, so that a higher score consistently indicates greater stress exposure.
Hazard exposure describes the average conditions of an occupation, not any individual's experience — everyone has a different tolerance for these challenges, and conditions vary between workplaces.
Frequently asked questions
General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers: how stressful is the job?
General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers rank #87 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 51.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 72.6% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for general practitioners and resident medical officers?
The highest-scoring hazards are frequency of decision making (100/100), impact of decisions on co-workers or company results (99.8/100) and consequence of error (99.2/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for general practitioners and resident medical officers?
General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers score below the national average for pace and demands (55.6 vs 56 average) and lack of control (6.9 vs 24.5 average), which partially offsets the higher-scoring hazards.
Where does this data come from?
Scores are derived from SafeWork Australia's Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset. Clearhead filtered the dataset to the 22 mental-health-related hazard variables — excluding physical safety risks — and scored 317 ANZSCO occupations across six categories: emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, lack of control, precision and monotony, and physical environment.
Beyond the average
This is the average hazard exposure for general practitioners and resident medical officers. Your workforce isn't average.
Clearhead's Psychosocial Risk Pulse measures the actual psychosocial risk in your organisation, quarterly — across 18 ISO 45003-aligned work factors.