Do doctors have to take tests after they finish school? Flexible hours?

[VeggieForce]

Do doctors have to take tests continually or do the tests stop once someone becomes a doctor? I dont really want to take tests every year after i have already fiinished my studies...but no one wants to do that.....and if this is true then how does these kinds of tests compare to other professions?

Also can doctors make flexible hours, not like 30 hours a week but around 50 is pretty ok. i kno that you must sacrifice pay. what kinds of fields are more flexible than others, besides an EM?

thnx

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[c5212]

Do doctors have to take tests continually or do the tests stop once someone becomes a doctor? I dont really want to take tests every year after i have already fiinished my studies...but no one wants to do that.....and if this is true then how does these kinds of tests compare to other professions?

Also can doctors make flexible hours, not like 30 hours a week but around 50 is pretty ok. i kno that you must sacrifice pay. what kinds of fields are more flexible than others, besides an EM?

thnx

Test-wise, I believe once you're licensed and after your residency, etc. you're done with them- but take that with a grain of salt.
HOURS... that's another story. check out this site---

http://www.medfriends.org/specialty_hours_worked.htm

It tells you specialty / hour flexibility / avg salary / #of hours / #years of graduate med education
*Mind you this data is from 2003 so salaries might vary, but the hours should be nearly the same

hope this helps (ps for $ and low hours, being a ninja is the way to go)

 

[schrizto]

You have to take CME (Continuing Medical Education) courses to show that you are still current, and to keep state licensure. In order to become board certified, doctors have to take exams, and for some specialties, get recertified around every ten years. So testing does not end after becoming a doctor.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

You have to take CME (Continuing Medical Education) courses to show that you are still current, and to keep state licensure. In order to become board certified, doctors have to take exams, and for some specialties, get recertified around every ten years. So testing does not end after becoming a doctor.

I didn't bother checking, but I think by the time we're all full attendings, pretty much every specialty will require re-certification every xx years. That's a fair amount of studying, as the test basically tells you whether or not you learned enough in residency.

As for hours, they can vary. I don't necessarily buy that table the other person linked to. As a family practice doc or internal medicine doc, you can base your office hours on whatever you want to earn. For some, that could be 5 days x 10 hours, plus the evening and weekend time to do paperwork. So, you get your 55-60 hours/wk. But, if you're okay earning less, you can take off 1-2 afternoons off a week (or a full day as one doctor I shadowed does) and spend less time working.

It all depends on your practice environment and who you work with.

 

[boomstick16]

I'm looking into the profession to, so I have to ask why would you let test discourage you from doing what you want to do most?

 

[schrizto]

I didn't bother checking, but I think by the time we're all full attendings, pretty much every specialty will require re-certification every xx years. That's a fair amount of studying, as the test basically tells you whether or not you learned enough in residency.

As for hours, they can vary. I don't necessarily buy that table the other person linked to. As a family practice doc or internal medicine doc, you can base your office hours on whatever you want to earn. For some, that could be 5 days x 10 hours, plus the evening and weekend time to do paperwork. So, you get your 55-60 hours/wk. But, if you're okay earning less, you can take off 1-2 afternoons off a week (or a full day as one doctor I shadowed does) and spend less time working.

It all depends on your practice environment and who you work with.

Off-topic, but you have dang good stats on your MDApps. GL!

 

[DrYoda]

Do doctors have to take tests continually or do the tests stop once someone becomes a doctor? I dont really want to take tests every year after i have already fiinished my studies...but no one wants to do that.....and if this is true then how does these kinds of tests compare to other professions?

If there are any specialities left that still don't require recertification there's a good chance they will by the time you get there. There has been a trend of the speciality organizations eliminating the lifetime certification set ups. So it's a good bet you'll be taking recert exams, you will also take Continuing medical education credits, I don't see either as something that should deter you.

Also can doctors make flexible hours, not like 30 hours a week but around 50 is pretty ok. i kno that you must sacrifice pay. what kinds of fields are more flexible than others, besides an EM?

50hrs/wk is doable in many specialities.

 

[Dr Leo Spaceman]

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[Doodledog]

Do doctors have to take tests continually or do the tests stop once someone becomes a doctor? I dont really want to take tests every year after i have already fiinished my studies...but no one wants to do that.....and if this is true then how does these kinds of tests compare to other professions?

Also can doctors make flexible hours, not like 30 hours a week but around 50 is pretty ok. i kno that you must sacrifice pay. what kinds of fields are more flexible than others, besides an EM?

thnx

Physicians will be taking exams and documenting their skills throughout their career. The era of lifetime board certification is long gone. Typically this process, often referred to as "MOC - Maintenance of Certification" will involve a range of documentation including a written exam at intervals of 5 to 10 years. It is not an extremely onerous task, but it isn't going to go away nor should it.

 

[boaz]

This should be the least of your worries.

 

[Vicviper]

Like the other's have said before, the number of hours you work can simply depend on how much you want to make, and what specialty you are. My dad was a physician, a Physiatrist (yes, not psychiatrist), worked for Kaiser, one of the big West Coast HMO's, and he worked pretty normal business hours since he was able to drop us off at school and pick us up around 5. He was on call every so often, but that's just something you live with. If you're really concerned with hours and being able to spend time with family, there's always dentistry, we've got great hours. 🙂

And yeah, if it's something you're really dedicated about, having to take CE and reminiscence exams isn't that important.