Physician (weekly hours)

[clc8503]

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This thread is for curiosity purposes only. I was recently informed about the long sucky hours Ob/gyn’s work. I was wondering what specialties really suck as for as working 55+ hours a week. This is not something I am in desperate need to know. Like I said, I’m just curious. Also, what physicians traditionally work more desirable hours (45 or less)?

Thanks,
Caraway

 

[shuzee]

This thread is for curiosity purposes only. I was recently informed about the long sucky hours Ob/gyn’s work. I was wondering what specialties really suck as for as working 55+ hours a week. This is not something I am in desperate need to know. Like I said, I’m just curious. Also, what physicians traditionally work more desirable hours (45 or less)?

Thanks,
Caraway

I have worked under a GYN-Onc division for two years and i can assure you that the gyn-onc sub specialty is the MOST taxing....the residents of the OB/GYN dept work inhumane hours....but i think it gets pretty ok after one completes their fellowship.
more humane hours would be for dermatology, endocrinology, geriatrics....im assuming....??

 

[Ross434]

newsflash. nobody works less than 45-50 hours / week these days. (unless you're in a trade or govt job). think more like 8-5 or 8-6 most days, for most well paid professions.

 

[riceman04]

This thread is for curiosity purposes only. I was recently informed about the long sucky hours Ob/gyn’s work. I was wondering what specialties really suck as for as working 55+ hours a week. This is not something I am in desperate need to know. Like I said, I’m just curious. Also, what physicians traditionally work more desirable hours (45 or less)?

Thanks,
Caraway

You could be private practice. Then that way you would not have to work 55+ hrs.

 

[thirdunity]

newsflash. nobody works less than 45-50 hours / week these days. (unless you're in a trade or govt job). think more like 8-5 or 8-6 most days, for most well paid professions.

Yep - one reason I was never premed *before* was because of the discipline, the studies, the infamous hours doctors work - then I got into computers, where I had to study constantly just to stay *employed*. I also hated sitting at a desk for 80 hours. I got fat. I got thin again after I quit the industry.

And it's going a lot smoother. Not one moment am I ever doing the math/science foundations wondering "where the heck is this going to go in ten years?" because I know where it's going to go.

If I have to work an eighty-hour week anyway once I'm out of school, I may as well do it while doing something I WANT to do. And where I know my job will still exist in 10, 20, 40 years. And where I can work anywhere in the country, not just in Silicon Valley.

 

[MollyMalone]

Those physicians that do shift work (EM would be the gold standard here but also hospitalists, some rads, etc.) tend to have more control over their schedules and can work as much (or as little) as they would like. Physicians who take call obviously have less control, but there are still opportunities out there for 40 hr/wk work if you look hard enough. There will definitely be a financial tradeoff, of course.

 

[Freakingout]

Hey caraway, could you quit signing your posts? We know who you are because we can all see your username. Haven't you noticed that hardly anyone else signs their posts?

 

[nico05]

Hey caraway, could you quit signing your posts? We know who you are because we can all see your username. Haven't you noticed that hardly anyone else signs their posts?

Are you serious??? Does this really bother you? Please.

 

[SitraAchra]

Hey caraway, could you quit signing your posts? We know who you are because we can all see your username. Haven't you noticed that hardly anyone else signs their posts?

I think it's endearing at best, a quirk at worst.

 

[FutureOrthoDoc]

If you have any reservations about working long hours as a physician, you might want to find a different line of work. The medical profession is about effort and dedication. If you want to rest on your laurels, you have no place caring for the sick and injured.

 

[AStudent]

It's just that we're putting coversheets on all the TPS reports......mmmmmk?

If I have to work an eighty-hour week anyway once I'm out of school, I may as well do it while doing something I WANT to do. And where I know my job will still exist in 10, 20, 40 years. And where I can work anywhere in the country, not just in Silicon Valley.

 

[~~premed82~~]

If you have any reservations about working long hours as a physician, you might want to find a different line of work. The medical profession is about effort and dedication. If you want to rest on your laurels, you have no place caring for the sick and injured.

Co-signing what this person said!

 

[Mistress S]

If you have any reservations about working long hours as a physician, you might want to find a different line of work. The medical profession is about effort and dedication. If you want to rest on your laurels, you have no place caring for the sick and injured.

I don't really agree with this. I think you can be dedicated to a profession without it consuming your whole life (which an 80 hr work week pretty much does). Becoming a doctor is important to me, but so is having a family and actually being there to raise my kids, and having time to enjoy other aspects of my life (hobbies, travel). I realize that I will probably work long hours in residency, but I plan to find a specialty/practicing arrangement that allows me to work a humane schedule and still have time for a life outside of work, particularly for my interpersonal relationships. I don't think this means I'll be any worse of a physician, and I think it will certainly make me a better person and have a happier life overall. I'm fine with the sacrifices I will have to make for this (less money and opportunities for advancement), I think it's a great trade-off for being a satisfied and well-rounded human being. 👍

 

[LaDoctorFutura]

I don't really agree with this. I think you can be dedicated to a profession without it consuming your whole life (which an 80 hr work week pretty much does). Becoming a doctor is important to me, but so is having a family and actually being there to raise my kids, and having time to enjoy other aspects of my life (hobbies, travel). I realize that I will probably work long hours in residency, but I plan to find a specialty/practicing arrangement that allows me to work a humane schedule and still have time for a life outside of work, particularly for my interpersonal relationships. I don't think this means I'll be any worse of a physician, and I think it will certainly make me a better person and have a happier life overall. I'm fine with the sacrifices I will have to make for this (less money and opportunities for advancement), I think it's a great trade-off for being a satisfied and well-rounded human being. 👍

i definately agree with this. i definately want a career as a physician, but i will definately not let it encompass my life. true, there are some specialties that require long hours, but assuming that all doctors must dedicate their lives to medicine is an incorrect assumption. to the remark about finding another career, i did investigate other avenues, including dentistry (which averages about 35 hours a week), but for those that WANT to do medicine, limitations will not be expected nor accepted. There are plenty of options that will allow fewer weekly work hours, however, a cut in pay may be a shortfall of the decision. it is unfortunate that it must be like this, but in the long run, actually being able to watch kids grow up, participate in family events, and have a life outside the hospital is 100% better.

 

[CarleneM]

I too agree with Mistress S and certainly don't plan on living at the hospital (well maybe during my surgery clerkship and some of residency but that's it).

Derm is an obvious field where average workweek hours are low and pay is relatively high. Also, there generally isn't call. Another that I don't think has been mentioned is psychiatry. I know plenty of psych residents and attendings and none of them work much more than 40 hours/week. They do have call though but generally have lives outside of work. Pay is on the low side for adult psychiatrists but higher for child and adolescent (which requires 1-2 more years of training)

 

[Oak]

This link may help. It list specialties, average hours, pay and other good pieces of info.

http://medicine.wustl.edu/~residenc/outside/spec/byspec.html

I too agree with Mistress S and certainly don't plan on living at the hospital (well maybe during my surgery clerkship and some of residency but that's it).

Derm is an obvious field where average workweek hours are low and pay is relatively high. Also, there generally isn't call. Another that I don't think has been mentioned is psychiatry. I know plenty of psych residents and attendings and none of them work much more than 40 hours/week. They do have call though but generally have lives outside of work. Pay is on the low side for adult psychiatrists but higher for child and adolescent (which requires 1-2 more years of training)

 

[DrThom]

It's just that we're putting coversheets on all the TPS reports......mmmmmk?

I think I have a case of the Mondays.

 

[FutureOrthoDoc]

I did the trauma rotation at Harborview Medical Center during July. Rounds typically occurred at 5 am, which meant I would start at 4:30 to gather vitals on our patients. The workload was very heavy. Average census per team was 25-30. Call averaged out to q3, but it included a "hell week" where the team was on call 4 times. During that week we worked 135+ hours. Overall the average hours per week were in excess of 100. Rounding on the weekends was expected, so during the 4 week rotation I didn't have any days off. The amount of scutwork was minimal, and multiple opportunities were available for hands on experience, both in the ER and the OR.

I found this on a resident ortho site

 

[CarleneM]

I did the trauma rotation at Harborview Medical Center during July. Rounds typically occurred at 5 am, which meant I would start at 4:30 to gather vitals on our patients. The workload was very heavy. Average census per team was 25-30. Call averaged out to q3, but it included a "hell week" where the team was on call 4 times. During that week we worked 135+ hours. Overall the average hours per week were in excess of 100. Rounding on the weekends was expected, so during the 4 week rotation I didn't have any days off. The amount of scutwork was minimal, and multiple opportunities were available for hands on experience, both in the ER and the OR.

I found this on a resident ortho site

maybe that's what its all about for you but not for everyone and you need to understand that one can be a great doctor without putting in 100+ hour weeks. I'm not sure why anyone would think working 135+ hours was anything but barbaric but, hey, different strokes...

 

[clc8503]

Like I said, this thread was started for curiosity purposes only. It’s perfectly natural for us all to have different opinions about what make a good physician. However, it’s imperative that you make time for yourself as well. You only live once, and I’m sure none of us want to be an old man/woman looking back on our lives, realizing how we improved the quality of so many people’s life, only to realize that it took the best years of our own to make it happen. Think about that before any of you judge someone for not wanting to devote every second of their youth working 55+ hours a week. Being a physician does require working a lot of hours. I’m not saying it doesn’t. However, this does not mean a physician has to eat, sleep and breathe their job. Ask any physician, and they will tell you that you have to make time for yourself “sometimes”. Once again, I would like to stress that almost all physicians’ work very long hours. I not even saying I have a problem with that. I still think it is normal for someone to want to work less than 50 hours a week “if possible”. Furthermore, I will keep signing my messages the same way I always have. It’s my trademark and if it bothers any of you then all I tell you is to get a life.

Yours,
Caraway

 

[synapse lapse]

well, if you check out some statistics ( http://medicine.wustl.edu/~residenc/outside/spec/byspec.html ) even surgeons work an average of 55 - 60 hours a week. People think that's a lot, but if you think about it its only like working 7 am to 6 pm Mon-Fri and a few hours on weekend, or whatever other combination. That's not bad at all. Sure, residency is tough, but if you go into private practice you can get by working 40-50 hrs/week in many specialties. Obviously not every day is going to be 7-6, but depending on what you chose to do, you can work reasonable hours. I personally don't feel that 11 -12 hours day 5 days week is that much. I used to work 4 12 hour shifts after high school, it was bad at all. And i hated what I did, so I imagine loving your work helps!

 

[PineappleGirl]

Another that I don't think has been mentioned is psychiatry. I know plenty of psych residents and attendings and none of them work much more than 40 hours/week. They do have call though but generally have lives outside of work. Pay is on the low side for adult psychiatrists but higher for child and adolescent (which requires 1-2 more years of training)

Yeah, I have a friend who's a psychiatrist and he works a regular 40 hour work week. He's on call one weekend a month.

 

[leechy]

If I have to work an eighty-hour week anyway once I'm out of school, I may as well do it while doing something I WANT to do. And where I know my job will still exist in 10, 20, 40 years. And where I can work anywhere in the country, not just in Silicon Valley.

Great point. I too was once scared of medicine because I was under the impression that it was WAY more time-consuming and taxing than any other profession. Well, after some investigation and a variety of experiences, I realized that ANY profession that is the least bit intellectually challenging requires many hours of work. Might as well be doing those hours in something you like.

That being said, I'm still under the hope (probably a mistaken one) that medicine will at least potentially allow for part-time work down the road. Money is pretty low on my list of priorities. If there is some way to moonlight part-time and still earn a decent living, I might go for it. I believe moonlighters get about $60/hr these days. So do four 24-hr days a month, and you're making about $5700 a month. Not terrible, if your goal is to have a lot of free time and not a lot of responsibility. Someone correct me if what i just said is insane, though. 😉

 

[Ross434]

Great point. I too was once scared of medicine because I was under the impression that it was WAY more time-consuming and taxing than any other profession. Well, after some investigation and a variety of experiences, I realized that ANY profession that is the least bit intellectually challenging requires many hours of work. Might as well be doing those hours in something you like.

That being said, I'm still under the hope (probably a mistaken one) that medicine will at least potentially allow for part-time work down the road. Money is pretty low on my list of priorities. If there is some way to moonlight part-time and still earn a decent living, I might go for it. I believe moonlighters get about $60/hr these days. So do four 24-hr days a month, and you're making about $5700 a month. Not terrible, if your goal is to have a lot of free time and not a lot of responsibility. Someone correct me if what i just said is insane, though. 😉

Well that 5700 a month comes out to like 3500/month after taxes

 

[clc8503]

Great point. I too was once scared of medicine because I was under the impression that it was WAY more time-consuming and taxing than any other profession. Well, after some investigation and a variety of experiences, I realized that ANY profession that is the least bit intellectually challenging requires many hours of work. Might as well be doing those hours in something you like.

That being said, I'm still under the hope (probably a mistaken one) that medicine will at least potentially allow for part-time work down the road. Money is pretty low on my list of priorities. If there is some way to moonlight part-time and still earn a decent living, I might go for it. I believe moonlighters get about $60/hr these days. So do four 24-hr days a month, and you're making about $5700 a month. Not terrible, if your goal is to have a lot of free time and not a lot of responsibility. Someone correct me if what i just said is insane, though. 😉

I've heard of some plastic surgeons that work about 8 months a year and take off 4. Those guys still seem to be earning a great living and then some. It can be done in certain specialties. There is no a plastic surgeon in my town. Therefore, one has to come out of a larger town to our local hospital. Despite what some statistics say, an internal medicine doc told me that the plastic surgeon, that did his wife's boobs, comes to the hospital I just mentioned. He sometimes does about 3 boob jobs there a week and makes around $15,000 off those three patients alone. Of course, this guy is probably in private practice. The point that I'm trying to make is that it can be done in certain specialties. That’s just what the Internal medicine doctor, that I shadow, told me. Take into consideration how long and difficult it is to become a plastic surgeon. Of course the rewards are great in that specialty. It’s not like your going to get called out of bed at 2:00 am because some famous movie star needs a nose job! These guys might get called in to do an emergency facial reconstructive surgery. However, that’s not something that happens everyday. Plastic surgery is mostly rhinoplasty, boobs, and people who want to look younger. I can’t believe no one has pointed this specialty out sooner.