The REST-JD Report is the first comprehensive study by the EJD to analyze working time and job satisfaction of junior doctors. The findings reveal a systemic crisis: junior doctors across Europe consistently work beyond both their contracts and legal safety limits. Frequent overtime, night shifts, and the routine denial of weekly rest or annual leave have created a direct correlation between long hours and professional dissatisfaction.
These unsustainable conditions are driving workforce burnout and attrition, further destabilizing already strained healthcare systems. The report issues an urgent call for policy reform and stricter monitoring at local and European levels. Improving these conditions is essential not only for doctor well-being but for the long-term recruitment, retention, and safety of the entire European medical workforce.
