How many hours do you average a week?

[Dred Pirate]

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So - random question from a non doc (I am an ED Rph). I work pretty closely with our docs which is a democratic group that has a one hospital contract for as long as I have been here (16 years).
I have heard a couple of the docs says that they have "literally one of the best set ups in the country" and i was curious as to how it compares to other places. They average 12-14 shifts a month - technically they are 9 hour shifts, but it is common to often leave before that (depends on that one of two patients awaiting dispo) Obviously during covid they have had fewer pt's - and some times the shifts are as low as 6 hours - at least at night the average is 8 hour shifts. In my 16 years only 2 docs have left that didn't leave due to retirement.

I completely get fewer pt's = less $$ - but compared to the other specialties at the hospital, the hour commitment seems much better (but I get the comparison is apples to oranges)

 

[DeadCactus]

Typical jobs range from 120 to 144 hours a month. It’s a useless number for comparing jobs jobs within EM and even more worthless for comparing jobs across medicine or other fields. If your physicians feel like they have a good gig, it has more to do with being well paid, feeling respected professionally, and working in a functional system.

 

[dadaddadaBATMAN]

So - random question from a non doc (I am an ED Rph). I work pretty closely with our docs which is a democratic group that has a one hospital contract for as long as I have been here (16 years).
I have heard a couple of the docs says that they have "literally one of the best set ups in the country" and i was curious as to how it compares to other places. They average 12-14 shifts a month - technically they are 9 hour shifts, but it is common to often leave before that (depends on that one of two patients awaiting dispo) Obviously during covid they have had fewer pt's - and some times the shifts are as low as 6 hours - at least at night the average is 8 hour shifts. In my 16 years only 2 docs have left that didn't leave due to retirement.

I completely get fewer pt's = less $$ - but compared to the other specialties at the hospital, the hour commitment seems much better (but I get the comparison is apples to oranges)

It’s easy to get caught up on the hours and lose focus on the content of the hours, the timing of them, and the location.

I objectively worked more hours in the hospital when I was im than when i was on em in residency. I worked even more hours on surgery rotations or icu rotations.

I felt far and away the most tired and drained on ed rotations.

Being able to eat, drink, pee, and have a bm when you’re at work are rarely talked about but very significant perks to 95% of jobs that aren’t working in the ed or an amazon warehouse.

 

[emergentmd]

When I was in the hospital, worked about 110-120/month and latest shift ended at 2am. Typically 14, 7-8 hr shifts. Never did overnight in my career unless it was my choosing, the greatness of nocturnist.

Currently only FSERs, 6 shifts a month, so 140/month but the work compared to the hospital is night/day. I would from a workload standpoint, it feels more like 60 hrs/month.

 

[Groove]

Most of the young docs in my group have signed contracts for 120 hrs. We work 9 hour shifts in a very busy "academic" ED. Although the shifts are interesting, they are very busy with sick patients and I wouldn't want to do anything longer than 9 hours. I contracted for 140 and work anywhere between 140-160. There is a slower, lower acuity ED up the street that some of us are about to start staffing part-time and they are 12 hour, relatively easy shifts compared to what we do at the main hospital. If I worked half my time there, I would be open to 160-180 hrs but not where I'm at currently.

My advice to young grads getting out (assuming any of you can still get jobs!) is not to get used to 110/120 hours. There's nothing wrong with those types of hours but you'll get so used to it that anything more feels oppressive and makes you burn out. Get used to working longer hours while you're young and back it down to 110/120 when you're mid-way through your career or on the hind slope. Now, that being said...yes, it takes some experimentation. I was working 180 hours consistently for a few years at a busy shop and got jaded and completely burned out and had to back it down for a few months to re-charge. Everybody is different but you might as well go front heavy on paying off those loans as well as saving for retirement while you can.

Also, it's all relative. 180 hours at a busy level 2 shop is different than 180 hours at a FSED pulling 24 hour shifts. Completely different animals.

 

[emergentmd]

Yeah I have done 10 shifts FSER before and 240hrs which sounds like alot is not terrible. If you are a good sleeper, 50% you sleep throughout the night and the other nights you typically get woken up once.

I still am super productive during and after a FSER shift even if I get 4 hrs of straight sleep.

I have done 17, 8 hr hospital shifts before and 140hrs feel much worse than 240 at FSERs.

 

[deleted6669]

Yeah I have done 10 shifts FSER before and 240hrs which sounds like alot is not terrible. If you are a good sleeper, 50% you sleep throughout the night and the other nights you typically get woken up once.

I still am super productive during and after a FSER shift even if I get 4 hrs of straight sleep.

I have done 17, 8 hr hospital shifts before and 140hrs feel much worse than 240 at FSERs.

yup, getting paid to sleep is awesome. worked 240-250 hrs/mo for the last year due to covid provider shortages/retirements at my rural, critical access hospitals and was able to function well 95% of the time the next day after a 24 hr shift.
240+ hrs/month solo coverage seeing 10-15 relatively sick patients/shift is much better than working 16-18 12s at an urban trauma center seeing 20-30 low to medium acuity patients/shift, which was my old schedule. Never going back.

 

[sloh]

Being able to eat, drink, pee, and have a bm when you’re at work are rarely talked about but very significant perks to 95% of jobs that aren’t working in the ed or an amazon warehouse.

This is really underrated. If you go over to the pharmacy forum, a lot of pharmacists talk about how not being able to sit, drink, eat, pee, or sh** really makes the job miserable.

 

[Dred Pirate]

This is really underrated. If you go over to the pharmacy forum, a lot of pharmacists talk about how not being able to sit, drink, eat, pee, or sh** really makes the job miserable.

Retail pharmacy has truly S%&t the bed - I used to moonlight just to remind myself of why I took a 20% pay cut to go to the hospital, ironically now I make 40% more than new grads and have a job where I actually use my brain and don't deal with world that is anything retail.

 

[MedLife20]

About to be zero for a lot of people.

 

[xaelia]

~17 clinical hours a week on 0.9FTE for the public system in NZ.

Could ultimately end up averaging fewer; I can't actually take time off anywhere near as fast as it accumulates.

Going back to the U.S. someday will be rough.