Hi again,
I really like this site. What better way for a pre-med to get valuable info from people in all stages from other pre-med to MD's.
I would like some input on some of you primary care Physicans about what you typical work week is like. I know this proboly depends on the work seeting, but what could be expected of a Pediatrician (my area of most intrest) working in a group practice, as far as hours per day, days per week and all call.
Im trying to get into med school myself but my father is an Internist and I can tell you about his hours.
He's up and out of the house by 6 am usually when he does some quick rounds at some hospitals. He's into the office by 9 am and sees patients until 4 or so in the afternoon when he heads out to some hospitals or nursing homes. On wednesday's he's working at all of the nursing homes. Fridays the office closes early so he's out at nursing homes again. He usually gets home between 7-8 pm.
The weekend's vary depending if he's on call or not. And when he is on call, we get calls at all hours of the night and sometimes he has to leave for the hospital.
Im not sure if this is a typical workweek for an Internist, but its what he's done for the last 23 years.
I’ve been asking doctors I know about their average number of hours per week that they work. Of the people who consider themselves full time, they work from about 50 hours per week (a psychiatrist) to about 70 hours per week (an internist). The radiologist and ER doctors that I know work less. A pediatrician I know, who is considered “part-time” by her colleagues in the practice, works “only” 40-45 hours per week…she has been able to have a nice home, three children, a part-time stay-at-home husband, AND paid back her loans on this part-time basis. All of these doctors are happy with their professional and personal lives…
I am interested in coaching kids sports, I wonder if that would be completly out of the question if I became a doctor??
Both of my sons have played little league ball here…the Safety Director is a family med doc, several of the coaches are pediatricians, two are radiologists, etc. It’s doable! 