Part-time docs?

[pej722]

I was looking at some of the averages work weeks for doctors and it seems like they are around 50 or 60 hours depending on your speciality. Has anyone ever heard of docs that work 40 hours a week but that earn less money?

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[JonnyG]

If you work per diem, you can set your own hours. It all depends upon what specialty you are in, is it private practice, desire to work. There are some doctors who love working 100 hour weeks while other perfer less. Your pay also is dependent upon different factors: if in a private practice it is based upon patients seen, while academic medicine is generally a set salary.

 

[EBI831]

the VA system allows you to work only 40 hour weeks. my mom does it and gets all fridays off it seems like apretty sweet deal. but then again it depends on where the VA is located and its not that much of a pay cut.

 

[tenaciousmd]

I was looking at some of the averages work weeks for doctors and it seems like they are around 50 or 60 hours depending on your speciality. Has anyone ever heard of docs that work 40 hours a week but that earn less money?

I know that some pediatric groups have part -time physicians and even the full time docs work around 40-45 hrs per week.

 

[CavalierMD]

I have nothing to contribute to this discussion. I would just like to comment on the greatness of the above poster's user name. That is all.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

My wife practices at an outpatient clinic for an academic medical institution. Most of the docs work full-time dividing their schedules between clinic, administration, teaching, and research duties. Still, a couple of the faculty work 50% FTE. They go home to their kids the other 20 hours a week.

 

[hermit]

Don't rule out dental school. Dentists have FAR superior hours/pay.

Not being a dick, they really do.

 

[Hoberto]

We've had some docs close to retire negotiate fantastic schedules and pay. Half pay for half as many hours.

I'd love to know how negotiable this is, say, 10 years after residency.

 

[lilnoelle]

ER docs generally work less hours. I think the average is between 36-42 hours per week. Of course, they work odd shifts too.

 

[Law2Doc]

I was looking at some of the averages work weeks for doctors and it seems like they are around 50 or 60 hours depending on your speciality. Has anyone ever heard of docs that work 40 hours a week but that earn less money?

Such jobs exist but are often hard to get. Because of the way physician practices get paid from insurance companies these days, most practices only do well if they have high throughput of patients -- it is a volume business. Thus physician employers generally place more value on employees who will do a ton of procedures, and shy away from hiring the part time types. You can, of course, open your own practice and set your own hours, but this is very hard to do from scratch.
Certain specialties are known to be lifestyle professions, such as derm, and are thus very competitive. Emergency medicine can have shorter hours, due to shift work, but they have more frequent overnights than other specialties, so if you wanted the shorter hours for family reasons, this might not be optimal.
And yes, in most cases (other than derm) if you work fewer hours, you will earn less money.

 

[Winged Scapula]

As noted above, it is possible to work part-time as a physician, or even to job share (more common in the female friendlier fields like Ob-Gyn, Peds and FM).

But you should know that the average professional US employee works more than 40 hrs per week, regardless of the field. Its rare to find anyone in a professional field who clocks out right at 8 hrs per day, without taking some work home, going in on weekends, or staying late, working through lunch, etc.

Back to the original topic --- it is possible, albeit harder to find these jobs and of course, you will make less, perhaps get less in benes, vacation, and partnership track.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Don't rule out dental school. Dentists have FAR superior hours/pay.

Not being a dick, they really do. And I am still thinking about it!

its really specialty dependent...

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I know that some pediatric groups have part -time physicians and even the full time docs work around 40-45 hrs per week.

Great Avatar
-Dr. P

 

[deuist]

You can also work in a day clinic, known as a Doc-in-the-Box. These places have set hours, take patients as walk-ins, and don't work on-call. You can find these places at many universities and minor medical centers. As you noted, these physicians are not paid well. They usually are held in pretty low regard by other physicians, too.

 

[Law2Doc]

You can also work in a day clinic, known as a Doc-in-the-Box. These places have set hours, take patients as walk-ins, and don't work on-call. You can find these places at many universities and minor medical centers. As you noted, these physicians are not paid well. They usually are held in pretty low regard by other physicians, too.

Yes - it's always better to think outside the box.

 

[geno2568]

just follow the ROAD to success
(Radiology Opthamology Anesthesiology Dermatology)

 

[Law2Doc]

just follow the ROAD to success
(Radiology Ophthalmology Anesthesiology Dermatology)

Other than perhaps derm, you aren't going to find any of those working 40 hrs a week. Probably not many only working 50.

 

[tenaciousmd]

I have nothing to contribute to this discussion. I would just like to comment on the greatness of the above poster's user name. That is all.

Well Thank you! Thank you very much! I accept the award. Now if I could just get into "freakin" med school.

 

[Dr.D-man]

My wife works for a GI office and all the doctors there work ~40 hrs/wk and still bring in at least 200k per year.

However, this is one specialty I know I will not go into. Poo is not my thing.