Is working 6/7 days a week commonplace in medicine?

[xnfs93hy]

For example, I know an internist who works six and a Neurologist who works 3-4.

But what about a surgeon? Are there any folks in non-surgical specialties working 6 a week? 7? I just want to know how common it is.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[J ROD]

For example, I know an internist who works six and a Neurologist who works 3-4.

But what about a surgeon? Are there any folks in non-surgical specialties working 6 a week? 7? I just want to know how common it is.

Honestly, it really depends.

Surgery, OB/GYN work long hours because surgeries can not wait sometimes and babies do not understand 2AM. IM can be long hours too.

Usually, the others are not six days a week all the time.

For lifestyle, follow the ROADE to success. Rads, Opth, Anes, Derm, EM

Path, Psy, PMR, Neuro, and some others are not bad either. Hospitalists can be decent too on hours. You usually work one week and off the other.

Most docs still work 50-60hrs a week.

 

[Narmerguy]

For lifestyle, follow the ROADE to success. Rads, Opth, Anes, Derm, EM

Path, Psy, PMR, Neuro, and some others are not bad either. Hospitalists can be decent too on hours. You usually work one week and off the other.

Most docs still work 50-60hrs a week.

Don't the ROADE ones work 50-60 hours a week too though?

 

[RySerr21]

Ive never seen it spelled with the E on the end..... EM is definitely not a lifestyle that I would want to live, thats for sure.

 

[J ROD]

Don't the ROADE ones work 50-60 hours a week too though?

rads and anes can be. Opth, derm, and EM are usually not.

 

[J ROD]

Ive never seen it spelled with the E on the end..... EM is definitely not a lifestyle that I would want to live, thats for sure.

Some do and some do not. I add it in because I look at the total hrs.

Fulltime is somewhere around 32-40hrs depending on where. You do have to work nights and holidays, which is not that big a deal for me since I already do it.

EM is really fast paced too obviously, which some will not like.

But, there is no call or rounding. Personally, I think it is a lifestyle specialty based on the total hrs at work. I can work my shift and go home and do other things. 3 12's and I am done for the week.

To each their own!

 

[DrReo]

Oral Surgeons can work as much or little as they want in private practice. However, if working in the hospital, they will be dictated by the hospital (i.e. long hours and on call).

 

[Law2Doc]

Some do and some do not. I add it in because I look at the total hrs.

Fulltime is somewhere around 32-40hrs depending on where. You do have to work nights and holidays, which is not that big a deal for me since I already do it.

EM is really fast paced too obviously, which some will not like.

But, there is no call or rounding. Personally, I think it is a lifestyle specialty based on the total hrs at work. I can work my shift and go home and do other things. 3 12's and I am done for the week.

To each their own!

Nobody adds an E to ROAD outside of sites like SDN -- and even here this is a recent development. Some see EM as a lifestyle specialty because shift work keeps the hours atypically low. But the salaries don't really compare to eg derm or rads thus far. And the competitiveness is not yet in the same ballpark as most of those other fields (gas has had bad years when it was less competitive, but seems to be on the upswing). So I think it's perhaps an exaggeration to add the E. I wouldn't use that acronym outside of SDN -- folks will look at you oddly because this is definitely not common parlance.

The average hours of post-residency folks in ROAD specialties is still about 60 hours/week (rads and gas often exceed this, optho and derm often come in slightly under). In most medical fields you can expect to have to work at least some weekends, and take some call. Folks I know in the ROAD specialties certainly take their turns working weekends in their practices. Other fields, like surgery, may involve even more weekend work. And if you are talking about the clinical years of med school and then residency, expect to work a lot of weekends.

As mentioned in other threads, medicine is a really bad choice if you want to have a 9-5 M-F career. It is not the norm in medicine.
And OP, since some of your other posts suggest you are interested in ortho or neurosurg, I think it's safe to say you will be working a LOT of weekends. More than most medical fields, which in turn are more than most non-professional jobs. If you are going down this road, you just have to put a lot of that kind of stuff to the side. You work hard and enjoy yourself on the rarer days off. But really no point focusing on this kind of thing at this stage. Too much happens in life between where you are now and where you will be then, that reasons you can't even conceive of right now may be pulling you toward lifestyle options. So worrying how many weekends you will be working might not be the best use of your time.

I would also note that the current IOM recommendations, which may go into effect in a few years, maintain the 80 hour work week limitation for residents, but limit the number of hours in a row one can work. This probably will eliminate certain call structures at the expense of a lot of weekend hours. So expect to be working fewer hours a day for more days a week in some fields under the new rules.

 

[xnfs93hy]

Nobody adds an E to ROAD outside of sites like SDN -- and even here this is a recent development. Some see EM as a lifestyle specialty because shift work keeps the hours atypically low. But the salaries don't really compare to eg derm or rads thus far. And the competitiveness is not yet in the same ballpark as most of those other fields (gas has had bad years when it was less competitive, but seems to be on the upswing). So I think it's perhaps an exaggeration to add the E. I wouldn't use that acronym outside of SDN -- folks will look at you oddly because this is definitely not common parlance.

The average hours of post-residency folks in ROAD specialties is still about 60 hours/week (rads and gas often exceed this, optho and derm often come in slightly under). In most medical fields you can expect to have to work at least some weekends, and take some call. Folks I know in the ROAD specialties certainly take their turns working weekends in their practices. Other fields, like surgery, may involve even more weekend work. And if you are talking about the clinical years of med school and then residency, expect to work a lot of weekends.

As mentioned in other threads, medicine is a really bad choice if you want to have a 9-5 M-F career. It is not the norm in medicine.
And OP, since some of your other posts suggest you are interested in ortho or neurosurg, I think it's safe to say you will be working a LOT of weekends. More than most medical fields, which in turn are more than most non-professional jobs. If you are going down this road, you just have to put a lot of that kind of stuff to the side. You work hard and enjoy yourself on the rarer days off. But really no point focusing on this kind of thing at this stage. Too much happens in life between where you are now and where you will be then, that reasons you can't even conceive of right now may be pulling you toward lifestyle options. So worrying how many weekends you will be working might not be the best use of your time.

I would also note that the current IOM recommendations, which may go into effect in a few years, maintain the 80 hour work week limitation for residents, but limit the number of hours in a row one can work. This probably will eliminate certain call structures at the expense of a lot of weekend hours. So expect to be working fewer hours a day for more days a week in some fields under the new rules.

I'd rather try and pull more hours in a day and have another off .

 

[Emmet2301]

What about family med? And if you work in a private practice isn't it lesser hours?

 

[Law2Doc]

I'd rather try and pull more hours in a day and have another off .

Unfortunately during residency the rule-makers won't give you that option. The concern is making mistakes by working too many hours in a row and so they'd just as soon you'd be there fresh on the weekend than tired at night. The rules are not intended to benefit the doctors, but rather the patients. So don't expect future adjustments to necessarily improve your lifestyle unless your and the patients interests are aligned. I'm not so sure they are in this latest go round that will likely be in effect in a few years.

 

[Winged Scapula]

What about family med? And if you work in a private practice isn't it lesser hours?

Private practice generally involves MORE hours than someone in a hospital employed position. Instead of residents admitting your patients and doing the paperwork, you are. Instead of the hospital biller submitting paperwork to the insurance company, you (or your office) is.

Of course, you can work as few hours as you like in private practice, no one forces you to work x number of hours. But the fewer hours you work, the less money you make as your overhead (office staff, supplies, malpractice, etc.) stay stable.

Family Medicine physicians are working more and more hours every year just to stay afloat as Medicare and insurance reimbursements fall.

 

[Law2Doc]

Of course, you can work as few hours as you like in private practice, no one forces you to work x number of hours.

Just to clarify for the readers, this statement assumes you are self employed or working at a parter level. If you are hired into a private practice or are a more junior partner, the practice in fact may have very specific notions of how many hours they are going to expect you to work and absolutely will expect you to work at least x number of hours.