ABSTRACT
Background: Profound changes have been observed in medical practice during the last thirty years. This may be understood as a result of the influence of economic variables in health services management, among other probable causes. At the same time, doctors' work has been diversified, and a tendency to work in several paid jobs simultaneously has been observed. Aim: To describe the characteristics of employment in a representative sample of Chilean physicians. Material and Methods: A probabilistic sample of 414 physicians residing in Metropolitan Santiago answered a survey about their number and type of jobs and completed the BIS UMED questionnaire that measures the subjective wellbeing of physicians. Results: Forty percent of surveyed physicians had three or more jobs (36.3% of men and 47.5% of women). There was a significant inverse association between the number of jobs, general wellbeing and facing medicine from a new perspective. Conclusions: The number of jobs is inversely related to the general wellbeing of physicians.