Physicians can't have a family life?

[AcousticDoc]

Is this a myth or pretty much true?

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[Ifellinapothole]

Is this a myth or pretty much true?

You should go ask some physicians. There are only freaked out pre-meds in the pre-allo thread.


But, come to think of it. I do know of a few doctors who have somehow managed to procreate.

 

[Blue Scrub]

You should go ask some physicians. There are only freaked out pre-meds in the pre-allo thread.


But, come to think of it. I do know of a few doctors who have somehow managed to procreate.

They were with numerous nurses right?

 

[virilep]

Is this a myth or pretty much true?

a lot of it has to do with what kind of practice u want. i mean, it's like your own business. you set the hours. now if u work for a group, u have to give and take. some groups are really hardcore and others are workable. just depends. there isn't a yes or no answer. and this varies among specialties as well.

 

[crazy_cavalier]

a lot of it has to do with what kind of practice u want. i mean, it's like your own business. you set the hours. now if u work for a group, u have to give and take. some groups are really hardcore and others are workable. just depends. there isn't a yes or no answer. and this varies among specialties as well.

What virilep says is definitely true. At UVa, there is a pediatric surgeon I know who does the work of two or sometimes even THREE surgeons. He has three little kids and doesn't get much time to see them... He gets *one* weekend off per three weeks, and on those weekends he can't leave Charlottesville (the local city around our hospital) just in case he gets a call... No doubt, he works something like 100 hours per week. He's extremely dedicated, loves what he does, and he's a truly marvelous human being whom I admire very much... anyway! That doesn't mean his home life is shot... he has a very understanding wife and great kids who realize the nature of his work, and they all make it work.

Anyway, other specialities aren't as demanding... my family physician comes to mind - he sets up his own hours, gets weekends off, spends tons of time with his family, etc. Basically what virilep says.

Everything works out for the best in the end... just keep a positive outlook on things and I'm sure this won't be a huge problem for you.

 

[medanthgirl]

Yes - I think it depends greatly on 1) where you are practicing and 2) what you are practicing... my husband is a 2nd year peds resident, and he was suprised to see the different schedules across the country when he was interviewing. Also, during his time in peds, we've seen that peds is pretty family friendly, about 3 of the 12 3rd years are currently pregnant!

I also think it depends on how you want to be a doctor, if you want to be the kind that shoots straight to the top, lots of publications, awards, shoot for chair positions, be a gunner for the rest of your life, etc, well i think that's going to be a different dynamic than someone who wants to focus mostly on practice. Of course, research isn't a bad thing...the docs where I am have 20% research, 80% clinical, which means they work in clinic 4 days /wk. They also all have kids, and one is an avid triathlete with a wonderful 2 year old daugter (and she's the chief of our dept!). i've paid close attention to how they juggle these responsibilities, because i def. want to be a doctor with my whole heart, but I have other passions as well, and want aspects of them in my life. good luck! where there's a will there's a way

 

[shahalam]

ER physicians are cool. They can choose to work like 2-3 days a week of 12 hour shifts, and they can still make over $100,000 a year. Plus, when they aren't at work, they are never on call so it's awesome.

 

[PineappleGirl]

I think it all depends on the specialty. The two docs I know quite well are in psych and in anaesthesia and they both have plenty of time for their families. I would say each of them works less than 50 hours a week with an occasional weekend on call.