Quick answer: Specialist Physicians are notably more stress-exposed than most Australian occupations — ranked #66 of 317 by workplace mental health hazard exposure, with a composite stress score of 52.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. The biggest drivers are responsibility burden and physical environment.
Specialist Physicians 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 demands44.6 vs 37.9 avg
- Responsibility burden74.2 vs 60 avg
- Pace and demands58.8 vs 56 avg
- Lack of control9.2 vs 24.5 avg
- Precision and monotony75.8 vs 67.7 avg
- Physical environment50.2 vs 38.2 avg
Scores range 0–100; higher = more stress-inducing. Source: SafeWork Australia Beta Occupational Hazards Dataset.
What drives the score for specialist physicians
Compared with the average Australian occupation, specialist physicians score furthest above the norm on responsibility burden (74.2 vs 60 average), physical environment (50.2 vs 38.2 average) and precision and monotony (75.8 vs 67.7 average). The single biggest individual stress factor is exposed to disease or infections at 100/100 — against an all-occupation average of 20.2.
The occupation scores below the national average for lack of control (9.2 vs 24.5), which moderates the overall ranking.
See how this compares across all 317 Australian occupations, ranked by stress score.
The biggest stress factors for specialist physicians
- 1Physical environment
Exposed to Disease or Infections
100/100
All-occupation average: 20.2
- 2Physical environment
Physical Proximity
93.2/100
All-occupation average: 61.1
- 3Precision and monotony
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
85.5/100
All-occupation average: 78.6
- 4Pace and demands
Frequency of Decision Making
84.8/100
All-occupation average: 70.7
- 5Responsibility burden
Consequence of Error
83/100
All-occupation average: 49
All 22 stress factors for specialist physicians
The complete scorecard: every stress factor measured for this occupation, grouped into the six categories, with the all-occupation average alongside.
Emotional demands
44.6 vs 37.9 avg- Deal With Physically Aggressive People32.2 vs 14
- Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People57.5 vs 50.4
- Frequency of Conflict Situations44 vs 49.3
Responsibility burden
74.2 vs 60 avg- Responsibility for Outcomes and Results64.5 vs 58.5
- Responsible for Others' Health and Safety76 vs 57.3
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results79.5 vs 70.4
- Consequence of Error83 vs 49
- Coordinate or Lead Others68 vs 64.9
Pace and demands
58.8 vs 56 avg- Time Pressure77 vs 71.6
- Duration of Typical Work Week72.5 vs 62.1
- Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment17 vs 23.1
- Frequency of Decision Making84.8 vs 70.7
- Level of Competition42.8 vs 52.4
Lack of control
9.2 vs 24.5 avg- Lack of Autonomy to Make Decisions4 vs 23.6
- Amount of Highly Structured Work14.5 vs 25.3
Precision and monotony
75.8 vs 67.7 avg- Importance of Repeating Same Tasks66 vs 56.9
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate85.5 vs 78.6
Physical environment
50.2 vs 38.2 avg- Sounds and Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable33.8 vs 52.3
- Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting18.8 vs 24.9
- Very Hot or Cold Temperatures5.2 vs 32.4
- Exposed to Disease or Infections100 vs 20.2
- Physical Proximity93.2 vs 61.1
Understand these hazards
The elevated stress categories for specialist physicians 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
Specialist Physicians: how stressful is the job?
Specialist Physicians rank #66 out of 317 Australian occupations for workplace mental health hazards, with a composite stress score of 52.1/100 against a national average of 47.4. That makes the occupation more stress-exposed than 79.2% of Australian jobs.
What are the biggest mental health stress factors for specialist physicians?
The highest-scoring hazards are exposed to disease or infections (100/100), physical proximity (93.2/100) and importance of being exact or accurate (85.5/100). Overall, the occupation scores above the national average in emotional demands, responsibility burden, pace and demands, precision and monotony and physical environment.
Which stress factors are lower for specialist physicians?
Specialist Physicians score below the national average for lack of control (9.2 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 specialist physicians. 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.