Ramster Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 This is the question that boggles me, my immediate family says no as well as my uncles and cousins(whom are doctors). But on this site and many others I hear about long long hours, on call duties and stress. Does every type of physician get this sort of work. I was planning to be a family doctor, flexibility, work in an office with other doctors and have my family oriented nature still intact. ...is this a dream or a reality? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewfieMike Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 reality for some specialties. medical SCHOOL and most residencies will be long and overworked, but the hours get better for some. Like Emerg, for example. Work 8 hour shifts, then go home -> no call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer87 Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 in a word: yes, but it varies according to speciality or how much you choose to work. you should really look into shadowing a doctor. go to your family doctor's office and just ask if you can come and volunteer there. explain you want to see what it's like for a family doctor and i'm sure you'd be able to find a spot. it would be great for you to see if you really want a life like that! being a doctor doesn't mean you will have a lot of leisure time but i mean it's not THAT bad, it's not like all the doctors you will meet are wierdos who never spend time with their family. most doctors are married and have kids, and family medicine gives you flexibility in setting up your own hours, so you can start late one day, finish early another day, like that however, that's only a LONG time after you've established yourself as a successful doctor and have a good patient base. until then yeah you probably will be under a lot of stress, and will be pulling long long hours when you're in residency, but it's all about how much you want to do it and why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramster Posted July 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 in a word: yes, but it varies according to speciality or how much you choose to work. you should really look into shadowing a doctor. go to your family doctor's office and just ask if you can come and volunteer there. explain you want to see what it's like for a family doctor and i'm sure you'd be able to find a spot. it would be great for you to see if you really want a life like that! being a doctor doesn't mean you will have a lot of leisure time but i mean it's not THAT bad, it's not like all the doctors you will meet are wierdos who never spend time with their family. most doctors are married and have kids, and family medicine gives you flexibility in setting up your own hours, so you can start late one day, finish early another day, like that however, that's only a LONG time after you've established yourself as a successful doctor and have a good patient base. until then yeah you probably will be under a lot of stress, and will be pulling long long hours when you're in residency, but it's all about how much you want to do it and why. Isn't residence 2-4 years though? After you've fully graduated from medical school what are the hours like for a doctor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer87 Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 yeah that's what i was saying, after you're done your residency and you start working at a clinic or set up your own practice, you get to set your own hours. you can choose to work from 9-7 or 9-5 or 12-9, or do half-days if you want! you can even mix it up and have different days with different hours. i won't say you can slack a lot in the first few years, for example i wouldn't say you can only work 3 days a week when you're starting out, cause patients want a doctor who is there for them most of the time. however after many years when you have your regular patients etc, you can play around with your hours to fit the way your life is. a lot of family doctors do this, that's why i highly recommend that you go shadow a family doctor you'll learn LOADS and get to see first hand what it's like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renin Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 yeah that's what i was saying, after you're done your residency and you start working at a clinic or set up your own practice, you get to set your own hours. you can choose to work from 9-7 or 9-5 or 12-9, or do half-days if you want! you can even mix it up and have different days with different hours. i won't say you can slack a lot in the first few years, for example i wouldn't say you can only work 3 days a week when you're starting out, cause patients want a doctor who is there for them most of the time. however after many years when you have your regular patients etc, you can play around with your hours to fit the way your life is. a lot of family doctors do this, that's why i highly recommend that you go shadow a family doctor you'll learn LOADS and get to see first hand what it's like! Yeah, most family doctors team together in a clinic so that if their patients have an emergency and they're not working, they can go see someone else. Usually there is once a week walk-in clinic duty or something like this. If you are a rural GP, you may be expected to work in the ER as well. There is a Family Doc that works down the street from where I live, and this is his schedule: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - 9 to 3 Wednesday - 10 to 3 Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor He actually has "NO DOCTOR" written in bold HAHAHA. I don't know how well established he is, but his hours do change from time to time. I walked past once where it was absolutely ridiculous: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - No doctor Wednesday - No doctor Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted July 5, 2009 Report Share Posted July 5, 2009 I think pre-meds are overworked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Ramster joined the forum on July 4, 2009 and within one day created the following new threads: 1. Lost, Confused, In need of any help 2. Dentistry 3. Employment as a Dentist 4. Are Doctors Overworked? 5. GPA’s in uni This probably has broken a record. Are there others who can match this accomplishment. If so, please step up and receive your reward. There is no guarantee you will like your reward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal :S Ramster is probably asking the questions that many other people are thinking about. I truly wish you were right on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael777 Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Ramster joined the forum on July 4, 2009 and within one day created the following new threads: 1. Lost, Confused, In need of any help 2. Dentistry 3. Employment as a Dentist 4. Are Doctors Overworked? 5. GPA’s in uni This probably has broken a record. Are there others who can match this accomplishment. If so, please step up and receive your reward. There is no guarantee you will like your reward! Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the point of these forums to post questions and start threads on things you're curious about? If Ramster wants to ask questions....what the hell is the problem here if they are in an existing thread or in a new thread. Nobody has a gun to your head and is forcing you to read his/her posts. If nobody posted, there would be nothing to read and nobody would gain from this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngdad Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the point of these forums to post questions and start threads on things you're curious about? If Ramster wants to ask questions....what the hell is the problem here if they are in an existing thread or in a new thread. Nobody has a gun to your head and is forcing you to read his/her posts. If nobody posted, there would be nothing to read and nobody would gain from this site. Well said triple seven! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 This family doc may well be doing shifts in the emerg, doing hospitalist work, working in a sports med or other clinic like botox or seeing LTC pts etc. during the times he is not in his fam med clinic. So his posted clinic hours may not represent his total hours worked in a week. To the OP, your hours in medicine will depend on the specialty you choose. Whether someone considers themselves to be overworked is somewhat subjective. A 70-80 hr work week is perfectly acceptable to some. Many physicians who work part-time, actually work longer hours than your average full time 40-hour work week. So ask more specific questions to your family members in medicine, shadow some docs you know and decide for yourself how you think you will feel leading a similar lifestyle with similar responsibility. Yeah, most family doctors team together in a clinic so that if their patients have an emergency and they're not working, they can go see someone else. Usually there is once a week walk-in clinic duty or something like this. If you are a rural GP, you may be expected to work in the ER as well. There is a Family Doc that works down the street from where I live, and this is his schedule: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - 9 to 3 Wednesday - 10 to 3 Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor He actually has "NO DOCTOR" written in bold HAHAHA. I don't know how well established he is, but his hours do change from time to time. I walked past once where it was absolutely ridiculous: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - No doctor Wednesday - No doctor Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura_333 Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I truly wish you were right on this one. Relax a little, or you'll scare away everyone with questions. Freaking out about his posts is just as annoying : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 Ramster joined the forum on July 4, 2009 and within one day created the following new threads: 1. Lost, Confused, In need of any help 2. Dentistry 3. Employment as a Dentist 4. Are Doctors Overworked? 5. GPA’s in uni This probably has broken a record. Are there others who can match this accomplishment. If so, please step up and receive your reward. There is no guarantee you will like your reward! Lol relax man you'll scare the kid away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DylanDK Posted July 7, 2009 Report Share Posted July 7, 2009 Ramster joined the forum on July 4, 2009 and within one day created the following new threads: 1. Lost, Confused, In need of any help 2. Dentistry 3. Employment as a Dentist 4. Are Doctors Overworked? 5. GPA’s in uni This probably has broken a record. Are there others who can match this accomplishment. If so, please step up and receive your reward. There is no guarantee you will like your reward! Relax bud, why so hostile? The purpose of this forum is to get info on all these topics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 I truly wish you were right on this one. So...you think he's a spammer or something? Perhaps he is just brave enough to ask all his pressing questions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da_birdie Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 My usual schedule: Mon: Free/Flex (semi-regular 10-3p clinic) Tues: 9-4p hospital-based Wed: 3p-9p clinic Thurs: Flex (9-5p locum or 1p-4:30p community/refugee clinic) Fri: 9-4p hospital-based + 5p-9p clinic Sat: Free/10-4p (semi-regular locum) Sun: Free (option to work 9-1p) Avg work week hours: 40 (36-44) There's always option to dial it up to 45+hour work week but I try to maintain some degree of lifestyle , especially with the student loan just paid off (yesterday ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramster Posted July 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 My usual schedule: Mon: Free/Flex (semi-regular 10-3p clinic) Tues: 9-4p hospital-based Wed: 3p-9p clinic Thurs: Flex (9-5p locum or 1p-4:30p community/refugee clinic) Fri: 9-4p hospital-based + 5p-9p clinic Sat: Free/10-4p (semi-regular locum) Sun: Free (option to work 9-1p) Avg work week hours: 40 (36-44) There's always option to dial it up to 45+hour work week but I try to maintain some degree of lifestyle , especially with the student loan just paid off (yesterday ) Woah that sounds really good! Is your pay substantially lower due to lower hours? Are you in family practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da_birdie Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Woah that sounds really good! Is your pay substantially lower due to lower hours? Are you in family practice? Yes I'm in family practice for almost 1 year now. I'd say my hours are pretty standard (36+ hr work week is "full-time" work!). I probably make approx what an average GP makes in BC, due to the relatively high volume of patients I see in clinics (5.5-7 patients/hour). Hospital-based sessions and community clinic sessions are paid at hourly rate equivalent to 5-5.5 patients/hour. At my current age (still 20s) and marital status (single), I'll probably be happiest at low-mid 30's hours/week of work though. Gotta live a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Yeah, most family doctors team together in a clinic so that if their patients have an emergency and they're not working, they can go see someone else. Usually there is once a week walk-in clinic duty or something like this. If you are a rural GP, you may be expected to work in the ER as well. There is a Family Doc that works down the street from where I live, and this is his schedule: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - 9 to 3 Wednesday - 10 to 3 Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor He actually has "NO DOCTOR" written in bold HAHAHA. I don't know how well established he is, but his hours do change from time to time. I walked past once where it was absolutely ridiculous: Monday - No doctor Tuesday - No doctor Wednesday - No doctor Thursday - 10 to 3 Friday - No doctor Weekend - No doctor Holiday - No doctor[/quote When I saw the one day in the week, I laughed out loud. (Maybe it was vacation week) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hours/stress also vary based on practice location (City and/or Province) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 13, 2009 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 it's really heterogeneous, too many factors to take into account... specialty, how much you're attracted to money, do you have a family you'd like to spend time with? etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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