Background The particularity and complexity of medical services make doctors a high-risk group experiencing job burnout. How to alleviate the job burnout of doctors is an important issue in implementing the national health plan.

Objective This study explores the impact of social resilience on doctors' job burnout and find out potential measures to alleviate their job burnout and reduce turnover rate.

Methods Through a stratified multi-stage random sampling method, 400 doctors in 6 tertiary hospitals, 11 secondary hospitals, and 17 primary hospitals from 3 suburb districts (Minhang, Songjiang, and Fengxian) in Shanghai were investigated. According to the reported score of Occupational Burnout Scale and the theory of social resilience, a multiple linear regression method was used to explore the impacts of the five dimensions of social resilience (including equal opportunity, innovation ability, psychological resilience, inclusivity, and social support) on job burnout.

Results Of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 360 valid questionnaires were recovered, with a valid recovery rate of 90%. The average total score of job burnout was 2.77±0.67, and the dimension-specific scores from high to low were reduced sense of achievement (3.16±0.57), mental exhaustion (2.83±0.74), and depersonalization (2.32±0.86). The scores of social resilience dimensions from high to low were inclusivity (3.72±0.99), innovation ability (3.52±0.81), social support (3.44±1.12), psychological resilience (3.39±0.78), equal opportunity (2.97±0.94). According to the multiple linear regression results, all dimensions of social resilience had a significant impact on doctors' job burnout:psychological resilience and social support had a negative impact on mental exhaustion (b=-0.554, -0.389; P < 0.01); psychological resilience, inclusivity, and social support had a negative impact on depersonalization (b=-0.391, -0.284, -0.386; P < 0.01); equal opportunity, innovation ability, psychological resilience, and social support had a negative impact on reduced sense of achievement (b=-0.308, -0.038, -0.451, -0.022; P < 0.05).

Conclusion Improving doctors' psychological resilience and innovation ability, strengthening equal opportunity, social support, and inclusivity are effective ways for alleviating doctors's job burnout.