Lifestyle :-)

[FutureOrthoPod]

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Hey Everyone 🙂 For as long as i can remember, I've always wanted to being an Ortho. Surgeon.., I remember hearing about athletes going to them to repair a torn musecle or something, and then my Grandpa had a hip replacement.., Ortho again. To me.., and I know.., Im not even in medical school yet.., Ortho is something that I've always wanted to be because it seems fascinating, and interesting 🙂

I was wondering if as an Ortho is it possible to have a family and spend signifigant time with them.., I mean 50 hours a week isnt horrible..., and you can definetely have family time with that.., but i was wondering more a long the lines of when you first finish residency how much time will you be putting in? 80hours a week? or like 60 hours a week?

Also.., correct me if im wrong.., but on "call" is when your sitting at home waiting to be "called" in to help with some procedure or something. So it seems like sometimes you might not be called and that time could actually turn into family time. Is this a correct assumption? Or am I making a fool out of myself by assuming 😛

Thanks for all the advice or w/e you wanna call it 🙂

 

[NPR]

I'm going to offer advice that isn't technically related to what you're asking but will carry you further in school and life than anyone else can offer in this thread.

Communication is best done without smilies. Whether you're on a casual messageboard or requesting a LOR from one of your professors.

Unless you are a teenage girl texting another teenage girl about how cute that guy next to you on the bus is.

 

[Pioneer Village]

I'm going to offer advice that isn't technically related to what you're asking but will carry you further in school and life than anyone else can offer in this thread.

Communication is best done without smilies. Whether you're on a casual messageboard or requesting a LOR from one of your professors.

Unless you are a teenage girl texting another teenage girl about how cute that guy next to you on the bus is.

Ah, I couldn't agree with you more.

But I'll pose a theoretical dilemma: What if a girl texts you, or e-mails you, and she's included about a dozen of them? Don't you feel obligated to meet her enthusiasm, especially if you're (romantically) interested? Once the smiley standard has been set, you can't just respond with any old thing; it will look dry in comparison.

I've tried explanation points but it feels like I'm yelling at her.

 

[FutureOrthoPod]

Lol, You are Definetly right on the smiley thing, as i review my post i notice that I definetely put to many smileys..., lol! It's kinda creepy. But, Aside from that.. Any actual on-subject advice.

 

[IcedTea]

Lol, You are Definetly right on the smiley thing, as i review my post i notice that I definetely put to many smileys..., lol! It's kinda creepy. But, Aside from that.. Any actual on-subject advice.

Ortho isn't too bad but it can vary widely. If you're practicing in a hospital setting then it can get pretty hectic. If you go into private practice, you're in complete control of the hours you work, but then again, opening a private practice is not easy. Good luck 👍

 

[FutureOrthoPod]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.., but still curious if as an ortho you could be on "call" for like 12 hours a week and if this is covered in the general estimate of a 50-60hr work week? And for call would you actually get to go home? or would you have to stay at the hosp, or at your PP?

 

[DrDre311]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.., but still curious if as an ortho you could be on "call" for like 12 hours a week and if this is covered in the general estimate of a 50-60hr work week? And for call would you actually get to go home? or would you have to stay at the hosp, or at your PP?

That's not really how call works. If you're on call, you're on for a period of 24+ hours at a time typically, and you'll have to take call multiple days per week and entire weekends (Fri-Sun) depending on how large your group is. You might have a quiet night where you only get calls you can handle over the phone or you might be in the ED or have to operate all night for an emergent case.

Average hours per week vary widely among practitioners of any specialty and depend on many variables such as location, group size, location, patient demographic, "niche" within your specialty, academic vs. PP, etc.

 

[FutureOrthoPod]

Alright so when doc's give thier average hours or w/e to surveys and to list like the one here ( http://forums.studentdoctor.net/printthread.php?t=250757&pp=50 ). I was wondering if the 54.1 hours listed there inclues the 24 on call period? Or is it that Plus Call.. Thanks..

 

[DrDre311]

Alright so when doc's give thier average hours or w/e to surveys and to list like the one here ( http://forums.studentdoctor.net/printthread.php?t=250757&pp=50 ). I was wondering if the 54.1 hours listed there inclues the 24 on call period? Or is it that Plus Call.. Thanks..

I'm not sure how the numbers in that poll are calculated. All I can tell you is that it isn't likely to be a comprehensive survey across different geographic locations, practice types, etc. Those types of polls are usually calculated by surveys with pretty low sample sizes/response rates.

"Average" salaries and work hours that you find on the internet are not a good way to pick a career. These things are extremely variable from practitioner to practitioner.

 

[FutureOrthoPod]

Alright man thanks. And im not really picking a career off that. Was just wondering if it was possible to have a family in ortho (something that I love), and still enjoy that family (who I also love). :-D Thanks.

 

[ninjapenguin]

I'm not sure how the numbers in that poll are calculated. All I can tell you is that it isn't likely to be a comprehensive survey across different geographic locations, practice types, etc. Those types of polls are usually calculated by surveys with pretty low sample sizes/response rates.

Not just that, but look closely at the source of the post. It's from a dental message board and dental specialities are listed as the most lucrative ones. Since when do EM physicians and urologists work more than orthopedic surgeons? 🙄

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

I work in a multi-specialty clinic with 10 orthopods. We're in a city of 150K, catchman area of about 500K. We have 3 hospitals. There are about 12 other ortho's in town. I'm a physiatrist who feeds very healthily off the orthos.

Most of our guys do clinic 2 days per week and operate 2 days per week, with either a day off or a variable day of surgery and/or clinic. Some of them work fast and finish clinic by 4 pm, others are still there at 6 pm always a couple hours behind - you set your own pace and tolerence for running behind.

They are then on call about once per week each - most days one is on call for a hospital and also covers the clinic's general call at night. Occasionally, two are covering seperate hospitals. Other nights, orthos from other clinics are covering. The more orthos in town and the less hospitals to cover = less call.

When they're on call they could get slammed or have it easy. They could get a call at 2 pm to come see a major trauma and have to cancel the rest of their clinic, or they might just get Fx's that can be splinted and scheduled outpt for a couple days later. They all have PA's that do a lot of the grunt work. Some nights they'll be up all night operating, others they get through the night sleeping.

Summer = alcohol + stupidity = more trauma. Winter = ice = Fx's, some need urgent surgery, others don't.

Some don't have much inpt, others have a lot. Some round am, some pm, some have the PA do most of it.

Other places I've worked are similar more or less - the bigger the group, the less call.

So say you round 7 - 8 am, clinic 8 - noon and 1 - 5 pm = 9 hours x 5 days/wk = 45 hours, + 1 night of call, on average going in for 1/3 of the time ( 5 pm to 8 am = 15 hours) = 5 hours, so that 51 hours per week can be reasonable. Surgical days could last a few hours or be all day, depending on cases - type and #.

If you work slower, have to drive to hospitals longer or round more, or have call more often, or get called in more, your hours could be considerably longer. Earlier in your career you tend to take more call to build your practice, and because the older guys are tired of being on call.

Call is the one thing they complain of most, but it's becoming increasingly common across the country for orthos and other docs to get renumerated for being on call, to the tune of $1K +/night by the hospital + fees for seeing/fixing patients.

I've also known female orthos who have gone part time to have kids and only work 20-30 hours/week + less call. But then their partners resent them and bitch about it, and they make far less $.

All our guys, old and young, have families and do well both professionally and socially. When you choose ortho, it's your first spouse. When you later marry, they will always have to share you with your career.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

I work in a multi-specialty clinic with 10 orthopods. We're in a city of 150K, catchman area of about 500K. We have 3 hospitals. There are about 12 other ortho's in town. I'm a physiatrist who feeds very healthily off the orthos.

Most of our guys do clinic 2 days per week and operate 2 days per week, with either a day off or a variable day of surgery and/or clinic. Some of them work fast and finish clinic by 4 pm, others are still there at 6 pm always a couple hours behind - you set your own pace and tolerence for running behind.

They are then on call about once per week each - most days one is on call for a hospital and also covers the clinic's general call at night. Occasionally, two are covering seperate hospitals. Other nights, orthos from other clinics are covering. The more orthos in town and the less hospitals to cover = less call.

When they're on call they could get slammed or have it easy. They could get a call at 2 pm to come see a major trauma and have to cancel the rest of their clinic, or they might just get Fx's that can be splinted and scheduled outpt for a couple days later. They all have PA's that do a lot of the grunt work. Some nights they'll be up all night operating, others they get through the night sleeping.

Summer = alcohol + stupidity = more trauma. Winter = ice = Fx's, some need urgent surgery, others don't.

Some don't have much inpt, others have a lot. Some round am, some pm, some have the PA do most of it.

Other places I've worked are similar more or less - the bigger the group, the less call.

So say you round 7 - 8 am, clinic 8 - noon and 1 - 5 pm = 9 hours x 5 days/wk = 45 hours, + 1 night of call, on average going in for 1/3 of the time ( 5 pm to 8 am = 15 hours) = 5 hours, so that 51 hours per week can be reasonable. Surgical days could last a few hours or be all day, depending on cases - type and #.

If you work slower, have to drive to hospitals longer or round more, or have call more often, or get called in more, your hours could be considerably longer. Earlier in your career you tend to take more call to build your practice, and because the older guys are tired of being on call.

Call is the one thing they complain of most, but it's becoming increasingly common across the country for orthos and other docs to get renumerated for being on call, to the tune of $1K +/night by the hospital + fees for seeing/fixing patients.

I've also known female orthos who have gone part time to have kids and only work 20-30 hours/week + less call. But then their partners resent them and bitch about it, and they make far less $.

All our guys, old and young, have families and do well both professionally and socially. When you choose ortho, it's your first spouse. When you later marry, they will always have to share you with your career.

As someone heavily considering ortho, thanks for the post...very informative.

 

[DoctorPardi]

Yeah excellent post PMR 4 MSK. I volunteered with an orthopod during clinic for about two years and have worked in surgery for about four. From seeing what I've seen I can say that it really varies, even from day to day for the same surgeon.

The hospital I work for used to be a more or less private practice facility and is now part of a huge academic institution. So I've seen both situations. Some days the surgeons will have 4 surgeries and get done by noon, sometimes they will have 8 and get done by 2pm and sometimes they will have 4 and finish at 7pm. You never know, I mean the type of case it is greatly impacts how long they stay, but my point is when they are done varies greatly on a daily basis. I would say most surgeons stay late (past 5pm) at least one day a week operating.

Also as PMR points out clinic time is pretty much up to the surgeon how fast they get done. The surgeon I worked with in clinic was notoriously slow. He enjoyed chatting up every patient and really taking his time, so that was cool for him. I would bet he works at least 60 hours a week and he is about 60 years old, but he enjoys that situation.

I am interested in ortho as well but I am just now an ms-1 so I have a lot of other things to consider before I make a final decision.