Is a work/life balance possible in peds?

[MateoGM416]

Sorry for the clickbaity title, I just want to know if what I'm looking for is realistic. I'm a first year DO student and I'm looking for research opportunities this summer in fields I am interested in. I think my top choice right now is peds cause I love working with kids and the idea of making positive impressions on a person's life from a young age, but I think I'm starting to realize how important work/life balance is for me. Ideally, I would love to work 40 hours a week and maybe have Friday-Sunday off. I don't care at all about the money or working in an academic center, I'd be more than happy if I made 140k a year in a nice city or rural town. Is something like that possible in peds? Would I have to own my practice to be able to only work 4 days a week? Would I have to do a fellowship? Any advice or insight would be appreciated, I don't have any friends or family members who are doctors.

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[HemeOncHopeful19]

Working 4 days a week seeing kids for $140k a year is probably doable in 2023 especially if you’d be ok working in a rural town.

The real issue is being able to predict what you’d honestly be ok with 7-8 or even 20-30 years from now, and knowing what else you might want out of life and is that still achievable on $140k per year with (presumably) the high debt burden that goes along with most DO schools.

 

[MateoGM416]

Working 4 days a week seeing kids for $140k a year is probably doable in 2023 especially if you’d be ok working in a rural town.

The real issue is being able to predict what you’d honestly be ok with 7-8 or even 20-30 years from now, and knowing what else you might want out of life and is that still achievable on $140k per year with (presumably) the high debt burden that goes along with most DO schools.

4 years at my school will probably cost me around 275k. I don't know what I would do with my money if I made more than 140k a year though. What is the difference in lifestyle between someone who makes 250-300k a year versus a pediatrician making less than 150k a year?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

You literally just described general pediatrics.

So the answer you’re looking for is yes.

 

[MateoGM416]

You literally just described general pediatrics.

So the answer you’re looking for is yes.

The physicians I’ve shadowed or have known personally have never encouraged me when I told them I was interested in pediatrics. They always have something to say about their colleagues or own friends who are pediatricians who are miserable and making way less money. And I don't know any pediatricians, which is why I asked on here. What do I specifically have to do then to have that kind of life before I am 35 (I am 23)?

 

[SurfingDoctor]

The physicians I’ve shadowed or have known personally have never encouraged me when I told them I was interested in pediatrics. They always have something to say about their colleagues or own friends who are pediatricians who are miserable and making way less money. And I don't know any pediatricians, which is why I asked on here. What do I specifically have to do then to have that kind of life before I am 35 (I am 23)?

So you’re shadowing people who don’t like pediatrics and are telling you you shouldn’t do pediatrics, but have no experience with pediatrics?

Seems like that’s your problem.

 

[MateoGM416]

So you’re shadowing people who don’t like pediatrics and are telling you you shouldn’t do pediatrics, but have no experience with pediatrics?

Seems like that’s your problem.

I should have added that I tell them I want a job in peds where I could have a good work-life balance and they tell me the life I want is more attainable outside of peds. This conflicts me because I feel like I would rather have good work-life balance than work with kids. So if I could do both, which apparently I can, that's great.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

I should have added that I tell them I want a job in peds where I could have a good work-life balance and they tell me the life I want is more attainable outside of peds. This conflicts me because I feel like I would rather have good work-life balance than work with kids. So if I could do both, which apparently I can, that's great.

Well, what is your definition of work/life balance?

BTW, full time pediatricians typically have 4 days week clinic scheduled with some smattering of home call and nursery coverage. Obviously there is practice variation and salary is tied to RVU generation (ie how many patients you see and what kind of billing codes are used for those visits), but the 4 days a week plus 1 in 6 home call and weekend coverage is my kids pediatricians work schedule. As far as general medicine goes, that’s a pretty good work/life balance in my opinion. Of course you can always work more OR as some people do if their spouse makes enough money, work part-time.

 

[DeadCactus]

As far as I've seen, community pediatrics should be able to break $200k working 4 or 4.5 days per week if location is flexible and that's your priority. More likely the 3rd day off would be in the middle of the week though because everyone wants Monday or Friday. Can you make more money for the same hours in some other specialties? Sure. But being a pediatrician won't stop you from having a comfortable life.

 

[MateoGM416]

As far as I've seen, community pediatrics should be able to break $200k working 4 or 4.5 days per week if location is flexible and that's your priority. More likely the 3rd day off would be in the middle of the week though because everyone wants Monday or Friday. Can you make more money for the same hours in some other specialties? Sure. But being a pediatrician won't stop you from having a comfortable life.

Why is location seemingly such a big factor? Are cities oversaturated with pediatricians?

 

[ceramicist1899]

Sorry for the clickbaity title, I just want to know if what I'm looking for is realistic. I'm a first year DO student and I'm looking for research opportunities this summer in fields I am interested in. I think my top choice right now is peds cause I love working with kids and the idea of making positive impressions on a person's life from a young age, but I think I'm starting to realize how important work/life balance is for me. Ideally, I would love to work 40 hours a week and maybe have Friday-Sunday off. I don't care at all about the money or working in an academic center, I'd be more than happy if I made 140k a year in a nice city or rural town. Is something like that possible in peds? Would I have to own my practice to be able to only work 4 days a week? Would I have to do a fellowship? Any advice or insight would be appreciated, I don't have any friends or family members who are doctors.

Just work for a Direct Primary Care pediatrics office

 

[HemeOncHopeful19]

Why is location seemingly such a big factor? Are cities oversaturated with pediatricians?

Big cities are oversaturated with all types of doctors. It is an unusual part of the medical field that is somewhat opposite of other professions.

While most jobs pay better in large cities medicine usually pays worse because more people will be willing to take lower pay due to family ties or other desire to live there. Whereas a smaller city or rural area may have difficulty recruiting a good Pediatrician (or Dermatologist or Surgeon or what have you) so they will be willing to pay more reasonably to get one.

 

[Ladholyman]

What you are looking for is very realistic. You may be lowballing the salary though. I'm in General Peds and work 4 days a week for Kaiser Permanente in the SF Bay Area. Pay is about 200k not including benefits. Just had my first kid so definitely doable.

 

[Staphylococcus Aureus]

This attitude is one of many reasons why peds salaries are so low. What you’re describing is a classic general pediatrician schedule, but $140K is horribly low (average is around 230k, even ivory towers will pay gen peds more than 140). anything under 200k would be a low ball offer for 4-4.5 day work week.

 

[MateoGM416]

This attitude is one of many reasons why peds salaries are so low. What you’re describing is a classic general pediatrician schedule, but $140K is horribly low (average is around 230k, even ivory towers will pay gen peds more than 140). anything under 200k would be a low ball offer for 4-4.5 day work week.

Ok my bad I didn't realize my having no connections or insight into the medical field at all is the reason why you don't make as much money as you would like

 

[Oso]

Lots of outpatient jobs will be 4 days a week, though you may not get much choice as to which weekday is 'off' and I imagine everyone would want Friday or Monday off to have long weekends.

Salary is probably 160-200k depending on where you live and other things like amount of nursery coverage, number of weekend calls, 'mommy call' responsibilities, etc.

You can definitely have a good lifestyle and many people chose to work part time. Obviously, you won't get paid derm $$$ for working those hours but you can definitely be comfortable and have a good work life balance.