How does the PA work week compare to that of an MD?

[SusGob711]

So I know that this isn't the PA forum but odds are a lot of you have looked into this career. Does anyone have any insight into the average work week. I've heard some people say it's worse than an MD's and others who have said it's 9-5, 40/week. This is something I'm seriously considering and I'd like to have all the facts--there just aren't as many resources for pre-PA's as there are for pre-meds. Thanks for the help.

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[necoli]

My sister is a PA in the suburbs of a big city on the east coast. She works from 830- 430 4 days a week (she gets tuesdays off), has drug reps buy her lunch, and makes about as much as an engineer.

EDIT- she is in family practice ftw.

 

[OtoHNS]

Yeah, PAs can really work almost any kind of hours. Most of them stick to the 9-5 type hours, though, from what I've seen. Those who work longer shifts usually only work 4 days a week. The nice thing about PAs (and NPs) is that you can easily switch to a completely different specialty if you want. For a doctor to do that, it would be 3+ extra years of residency.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

... but odds are a lot of you have looked into this career.

A poor assumption for this forum.

 

[LizzyM]

My brother is a PA in a walk-in clinic on a university campus (covers students, faculty, staff, dependents & some retirees). Most of his work is 8-5 M-F but he has some weekend shifts, some start late/stay late shifts (until about 7 at night, IIRC), and the occasional weekend including covering the team at some football games (even some travel to away games). I have never known him to work a major holiday and I've never hear of any drama about vacation weeks. He has time to enjoy his family, help his parents, and be a Scout leader.

I think he is scheduled to work 40 hours per week but of course, there are times when he should get out at 5 and it drags late because of an unexpected problem late in the day....

I should add in fairness that physicians who work in the same division work about the same hours and do pretty much the same tasks but are paid more. On the other hand, my brother was "on the job" 5 years earlier and with less debt than someone who started med school at the same time that he started PA school.

 

[militaryman]

I have been a PA-C for 6 years. I currently work in an urgent care. I work three 12 hour shifts per week and every 3rd weekend. I can pick up extra shifts if I like. Your hours depend on your employment and your speciality. If you are a surgical PA you will likely have call. If you want to work part time you can, but you wont likely get full time benefits. Just my two cents.

 

[Disinence2]

It all depends what specialty there are in.

I know one PA who is practically inseparable from the neurosurgeon she works for meaning 80-100 hours per week, easy.

Keep in mind that in some practices, doctors will try to get their PA's to work hours that they don't want to work. Example, admitting a not-so-sick pt from the ED at 3am.

 

[painmd87]

It's all in the job you get and the contract you sign.

In the specialty practice where I work, we have two MDs, an NP and a PA. One MD works 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, and takes 100% of the call 7 nights a week. The other MD works 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. M-F. The NP and PA work 8-6 as well. The PA came from an internal medicine practice where the PAs took call and worked very long hours. Now, not so much.

It depends what specialty you're in and what you're able to negotiate in your contract. As has been said, surgical PAs will work very long hours. ER PAs will work shifts, as will ER MD/DOs.

At least, this has been my experience in dealing with physicians and PAs.

 

[deleted6669]

it really varies. there are pa's who work 80-100+ hrs/week and take call and those who work 20 hrs/week and never take call.
in emergency med most of the pa's work more hrs than the docs and work their fair share of nights. our docs work 14 eight hr shifts/mo( 112 hrs/mo) and our pa's work 16-18 ten hr shifts/mo( 160-180 hrs/mo).
I generally work 45-50 hrs/week and work mostly nights/weekends.