Private practice vs hospital hours

[JPSmyth]

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I am just curious after seeing so much talk of "doctors work such long grueling hours their whole career!"

After residency, if you have the option to enter a private practice, isn't your work day pretty much 9 to 5, or somewhere around there? I'm sure that my orthopedic specialist will never get a call at 2:30 am or on a weekend saying he needs to come in to perform a surgery. His hours are 9 to 6 monday through friday.

So basically my question is, do ALL doctors really get plagued with a terrible work schedule for their whole life, even in private practice?

 

[Planes2Doc]

I think it depends on what you end up doing. The most competitive students end up gunning for ROADS residencies because they have the best lifestyle after completing residency. Even if you are at a hospital and work as a radiologist, I'm sure you will have a better lifestyle with no calls or crazy hours.

As for other residencies, I think generally speaking, private practice has better hours than the hospital, but it ultimately depends on the type of doctor you are.

 

[JPSmyth]

I have heard good things about anesthesiology with a pain management concentration. I would be interested in that because I feel you actually directly improve quality of life for patients as well.

 

[Bacchus]

I am just curious after seeing so much talk of "doctors work such long grueling hours their whole career!"

After residency, if you have the option to enter a private practice, isn't your work day pretty much 9 to 5, or somewhere around there? I'm sure that my orthopedic specialist will never get a call at 2:30 am or on a weekend saying he needs to come in to perform a surgery. His hours are 9 to 6 monday through friday.

So basically my question is, do ALL doctors really get plagued with a terrible work schedule for their whole life, even in private practice?

Orthos take overnight call. If someone comes in with a fractured pelvis from an MVA and is pouring blood by the pint into the pelvic bowl it won't be waiting until the AM.

 

[Bacchus]

I am just curious after seeing so much talk of "doctors work such long grueling hours their whole career!"

After residency, if you have the option to enter a private practice, isn't your work day pretty much 9 to 5, or somewhere around there? I'm sure that my orthopedic specialist will never get a call at 2:30 am or on a weekend saying he needs to come in to perform a surgery. His hours are 9 to 6 monday through friday.

So basically my question is, do ALL doctors really get plagued with a terrible work schedule for their whole life, even in private practice?

You more than likely will have to take call as an attending. If you're doing academic medicine it's almost certain. If you're doing private practice its probable. When you buy into a group your contract will stipulate your call schedule. Depending on specialty and size the call can vary greatly. A physician's office might be open 9-5 but that doesn't include the time you're staying after or coming in beforehand to return phone calls, complete charts and do billing, etc.

 

[mimelim]

I am just curious after seeing so much talk of "doctors work such long grueling hours their whole career!"

After residency, if you have the option to enter a private practice, isn't your work day pretty much 9 to 5, or somewhere around there? I'm sure that my orthopedic specialist will never get a call at 2:30 am or on a weekend saying he needs to come in to perform a surgery. His hours are 9 to 6 monday through friday.

So basically my question is, do ALL doctors really get plagued with a terrible work schedule for their whole life, even in private practice?

Depends on specialty and what you are looking for. The specific practice that you join will stipulate what the call expectations/requirements are. You can negotiate this. However, realize that junior partners are expected to take their share and sometimes even more call. For a busy surgical practice, this may mean a lot of nights similar to residency. For others this may not be that big of a deal.