How many hours per week at your first job?

This is for all the young staff out there.

I'm not asking for "what I wish I worked" - I'm asking for what you actually work.

Please also state your affiliation: academics vs. private vs. military vs. anything else I might have forgotten.

Poll prompted by discussion about life after training - I said I didn't see myself working less than 60 hours a week the first two years out of training, and my non-medical friend was horrified 🙂

deschutes said:

This is for all the young staff out there.

I'm not asking for "what I wish I worked" - I'm asking for what you actually work.

Please also state your affiliation: academics vs. private vs. military vs. anything else I might have forgotten.

Poll prompted by discussion about life after training - I said I didn't see myself working less than 60 hours a week the first two years out of training, and my non-medical friend was horrified 🙂

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Im baffled...where are you going to work after training exactly???
No clue as to where you are getting your info from, I would guess it will be far less.

Government including county hospitals, military and VA hospitals are standard 40 hour work weeks. Most including 10 week vacation packages, but a bit less for active duty mil.

Many people hitting HMOs these days are opting for 80% time packages, which is about 32 hours a week.

Private prac varies, my experience is usually 8 or 9am start and a finishing between 3-5pm. Many private pracs have elaborate vacation packages of up to 20 weeks off a year.

Things vary so much tho I dont doubt at all there are poor SOBs working 60+ hours a week tho right out of training. Doesnt suprise me. For 60 hours/week of straight work, I would charge around 150K/mo, so I doubt anyone could hire me.

What about call? And getting used to the new work environment/LIS, and showing cases around, and preparing for tumor boards?
What about all the things that residency/fellowship didn't prepare you for?

And what about academics?

LADoc00 said:

Im baffled...where are you going to work after training exactly???
No clue as to where you are getting your info from, I would guess it will be far less.

Government including county hospitals, military and VA hospitals are standard 40 hour work weeks. Most including 10 week vacation packages, but a bit less for active duty mil.

Many people hitting HMOs these days are opting for 80% time packages, which is about 32 hours a week.

Private prac varies, my experience is usually 8 or 9am start and a finishing between 3-5pm. Many private pracs have elaborate vacation packages of up to 20 weeks off a year.

Things vary so much tho I dont doubt at all there are poor SOBs working 60+ hours a week tho right out of training. Doesnt suprise me. For 60 hours/week of straight work, I would charge around 150K/mo, so I doubt anyone could hire me.

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How much is the salary for this job? Sounds sweet to me. That's 5 freaking months of vacation. Sounds too good to be true.

KeratinPearls said:

How much is the salary for this job? Sounds sweet to me. That's 5 freaking months of vacation. Sounds too good to be true.

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About 75% what it would be if they weren't so over staffed as to allow 20 wks vacation.

KeratinPearls said:

How much is the salary for this job? Sounds sweet to me. That's 5 freaking months of vacation. Sounds too good to be true.

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IF I remember correctly, reasonably nice location close to water (not ocean, inland delta area), 20 weeks of vacation was around 180K I think, you could also go essentially part time for 32 weeks of vacation (what I was interested in) and it was in the 120K range. Fully benefitted (as in health/dental and 401K) for BOTH positions. Cost of living was so so, maybe 450K for a new 4bedroom home, but with that package you could almost live anywhere including Truckee/Tahoe, Monterey or the Central Coast..hell, Mexico for that matter.

Indeed was true, was funny because I interviewed for the job in a truckstop dive diner somewhere off I-5.

If money is not your focus, if you are lucky enough to have no student loans and you are single with a relatively low cost of living and absolutely no desire to drive a BMW 6-series, then IMO one of the "part time-like" (they are technically really full time gigs in groups that place a massive emphasis on quality of life) are the way to go. Spend 2-3 months in San Sebastian, La Barraso and the Baeleric Islands living in rental cottages, then zip over to your permanent residence in Carmel....etc..