The aim of this study was to gain statistically founded information about female health care workers' career and family role burden and role-conflicts in relation to their general health status. SUBJECTS AND METHODS - The survey was conducted among women doctors and college-degree nurses working in in-patient institutes and was based on self-provided information obtained from mailed questionnaires. The response rate was 45.54% (n=409). RESULTS - The exclusively career-oriented or family-oriented ways of life were both dismissed by a larger proportion of respondents, as these were considered equally important. Work-to-family conflicts were reported by 44.8%, mainly mentioning night shifts, lack of time and too much workload as a cause. One in five (19.5%) respondent reported family-to-work conflicts. The role conflicts correlate with life and career satisfaction, plans to leave profession, health status and the prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms. CONCLUSION - The results suggest the presence of many conflict points between the family and career roles of health care professionals working in the Hungarian healthcare system. The role-conflict had an explicitly negative effect on the respondents' general satisfaction and health status. The importance of this subject warrants further analytic and comparative investigations.