Physicians working part time?

[IAhawkeye]

Does anyone have any knowledge about the schedules and how flexible they can be as a physician? If I decide to pursue medical school I do not want to work 65+ hours a week, I understand there is on call and I am aware of certain specialities that have more flexibility like "ROAD". I guess my main question is, is it common to be hired as part time? Would working in a physician group or a hospital allow you to better set your schedule and how many hours you work? Is teaching students in the medical school competitive?

Thanks,
Hawkeye

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[WillburCobb]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/easy-to-find-part-time-job-after-residency.1058984/

Is that you Rifle?

 

[IAhawkeye]

Lol, no, but it seems like we have similar questions. I'll read the comments in that thread and see if anyone offers solid info.

 

[WillburCobb]

Lol, no, but it seems like we have similar questions. I'll read the comments in that thread and see if anyone offers solid info.

FYI - rifle is a troll and this isn't really a legit concern of his.

 

[looncat]

I know a doctor who works in a private practice part time, she does half days. I would imagine working in private practice would allow you more control over your schedule.

 

[WillburCobb]

But as a serious answer to your question, yes it is possible, though not common. Generally physicians who work part time have other jobs/duties (teaching, admin, etc.) that you don't see or aren't aware of, have worked their way up the hierarchy to where they have more say about what they want to do/work, or are in private practice.

 

[IAhawkeye]

Thanks for the replies, I assume private practice positions are more difficult to land than a hospital gig? Or does it vary? Is there any official website that gives average hours worked by physicians according to specialities? I saw a table in the other guys thread but it was outdated (2003).

 

[Aerus]

Thanks for the replies, I assume private practice positions are more difficult to land than a hospital gig? Or does it vary? Is there any official website that gives average hours worked by physicians according to specialities? I saw a table in the other guys thread but it was outdated (2003).

Go NP/PA if you want better hours.

 

[WillburCobb]

Thanks for the replies, I assume private practice positions are more difficult to land than a hospital gig? Or does it vary? Is there any official website that gives average hours worked by physicians according to specialities? I saw a table in the other guys thread but it was outdated (2003).

Yes there are multiple sources for this kind of info - Google is your friend. AAMC and Medscape have info on this; Iserson's "Getting into a Residency" is also a good source. You'll find that all specialties have mean and median hours worked per week at 40+

 

[ZymurgySurfer]

Does anyone have any knowledge about the schedules and how flexible they can be as a physician? If I decide to pursue medical school I do not want to work 65+ hours a week, I understand there is on call and I am aware of certain specialities that have more flexibility like "ROAD". I guess my main question is, is it common to be hired as part time? Would working in a physician group or a hospital allow you to better set your schedule and how many hours you work? Is teaching students in the medical school competitive?

Thanks,
Hawkeye

I shadowed an orthopaedic surgeon who works 65+ hours a week 3 weeks out of the month, and then takes every fourth week off and travels. Still working long hours, but not a bad tradeoff if you ask me

 

[Law2Doc]

This same question comes up annually. It's sometimes possible and we all "know a guy". But the truth of the matter is that as reimbursements get slashed, volume becomes more important. It's hard to find a good paying part time or short houred job in medicine because there are plenty of people willing to work normal hours, and overhead (G&A, medmal) costs just as much to a practice even if a person only works half the hours. So you'd have to focus on per diem or shift work and those are dogs with their own sets of fleas. Working for yourself is theoretically a solution but most people grossly underestimate the time involved to run a business properly.
So the short answer is going into medicine without the goal of a full time job in medicine is usually a bad idea. Yes sometimes people make it work, and we all know a guy, but not enough to make this a good play.

 

[Law2Doc]

I shadowed an orthopaedic surgeon who works 65+ hours a week 3 weeks out of the month, and then takes every fourth week off and travels. Still working long hours, but not a bad tradeoff if you ask me

He probably does a lot of off work business development, reading, teaching, etc he isn't telling you about. Most people who are successful aren't clocking out when they leave the hospital grounds. I had an attending who everyone assumed was making bank and loving life just working two busy days a week until I rotated to another hospital and saw he was doing two days a week there and at a third location as well. This profession rewards the workaholics and makes it a bit difficult for people who want to kick back. Again, you will meet a few of the latter along your journey, but their path will be difficult to emulate and not always what it seems. I sure wouldn't suggest this field to someone who didn't want to put in a full work week plus periodic call.

 

[Evisju7]

One of the neurologist interviews on SDN is part-time I believe. Check it out in the article area of the site.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

It is reasonably common in general pediatrics for folks with babies/small children. Often via job sharing, sometimes via per diem or locum work and sometimes just as part-time positions.

 

[Law2Doc]

It is reasonably common in general pediatrics for folks with babies/small children. Often via job sharing, sometimes via per diem or locum work and sometimes just as part-time positions.

Job sharing/part time isn't that big nationally for the simple reason that, as i mentioned, overhead (G&A, medmal) is about the same per person whether they work full or part time so two employees working 30 hours a week actually costs the employer significantly more than one working 60. So I disagree that I'd call it "reasonably common," especially outside of a couple of specialties, although we all know people -- it's actually pretty hard to find part time jobs when you are in a job Market of people willing to work more hours, and I wonder whether it's worth it to go into medicine if this is your plan from the onset. If you decide during 3rd year you don't love peds or if you end up in a specialty where the number of people who want part time jobs far exceeds the handful of part time gigs out there, you are hosed.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Job sharing/part time isn't that big nationally for the simple reason that, as i mentioned, overhead (G&A, medmal) is about the same per person whether they work full or part time so two employees working 30 hours a week actually costs the employer significantly more than one working 60. So I disagree that I'd call it "reasonably common," especially outside of a couple of specialties, although we all know people -- it's actually pretty hard to find part time jobs when you are in a job Market of people willing to work more hours, and I wonder whether it's worth it to go into medicine if this is your plan from the onset. If you decide during 3rd year you don't love peds or if you end up in a specialty where the number of people who want part time jobs far exceeds the handful of part time gigs out there, you are hosed.

The OP asked "Is it common to be hired parttime"?

I responded that "It is reasonably common in general pediatrics"

The actual number (Pediatrics, June 2014) is that 36% of female pediatricians work parttime. Therefore, I believe my statement to be factual as 36% would represent "reasonably common". Interestingly, the overall average number of hours that pediatricians work has dropped to < 50/week, but I didn't make that point.

I said nothing about whether it was a good idea to plan it or not and whether it was common across the board in other specialties. It is my opinion, that premeds, on SDN, should have their questions factually answered. I suspect that MOST will not seek out parttime work, but may be reassured to know that, at least in one specialty it is common. I rather suspect it is also reasonably common for women in family medicine, but haven't looked up the numbers. My accurate response to the question asked was not intended to support their plan, but to reassure them about lifestyle options which exist in at least one specialty. Whether this type of information is helpful is a matter of perspective.

 

[knv2u]

She's back...against all odds.

 

[WillburCobb]

She's back...against all odds.

It's not SP.

Edit - I mixed this up with another thread. If it's a repeater it's more in rifle's style not SP. Also, as I previously mentioned SP and mrh were very likely not trolls.

 

[IAhawkeye]

Thanks for the responses so far, are most specialities, other than surgery, typically 10 hour days? I figured part time work is a rarity but I wouldn't mind working 8-10 hour days M-F. I just want to be able to have time for kids activities/games/etc once that time comes. While it's a difficult balance, I'm sure it can be done since so many others have done it.

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks for the responses so far, are most specialities, other than surgery, typically 10 hour days? I figured part time work is a rarity but I wouldn't mind working 8-10 hour days M-F. I just want to be able to have time for kids activities/games/etc once that time comes. While it's a difficult balance, I'm sure it can be done since so many others have done it.

Your question can't really be answered yes or no. Depends on the specialty and the stage of your career and the setting you end up working in. Some jobs in certain fields start at 5, others 7, others 8. Some routinely leave at 5, others 6, others 7. Some are call heavy others not. I'd say most doctors tend to work between 55 and 90 hours a week but without narrowing the specialty, seniority and setting it's pretty hard to narrow that range.

Balance is hard and in the early phases of your career you will absolutely miss some of your kids activities/games. Maybe even miss Xmas or thanksgiving. Hopefully you have a spouse, family member or nanny that can pick up the slack. It's a job that requires a fair amount of compromise. You need to know that going in.