Can doctors have a life?
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
White Coat Notes yesterday mused about “What happens when doctors what to get a life” and my mind jumped to a World Wrestling Entertainment Main Event. I could even hear the announcer: “In one corner, standing inches tall, the doctor and his or her life. In the other corner, towering high above the ring, the medical establishment.” And the winner is….
It’s not just “young” doctors who want to balance family and work these days, as Elizabeth Cooney points out in her post. But, all doctors, in my opinion. This is a wrestling match that occurs in young and old, male and female, these days. The field of medicine is tough and can suck up all of your time and energy if you are not careful. Perhaps that is why many doctors I know who wanted a life have ended up tweaking their careers in a way to minimize clinical medicine for other pursuits: patient education, research, writing, teaching, medical communication, medical administration, health care administration. And, the list goes on - even to include leaving the field of medicine entirely.
I will admit that younger doctors do have more clinical options out of the gate than my colleagues and I had even a decade a go. There are now more shift opportunities and part time opportunities. There are more specialty choices that allow for creative scheduling of time such as hospitalist work and urgent care work. And, medical groups are going to some interesting team concepts, as Cooney mentioned. All of these models, however, do strain the work place. And, there in lies the problem. So far, there have been no great solutions for that issue and some fields of medicine have dramatic workforce shortages. Yet…doctors are more awake and happy, which is good for patient care.
Cooney’s post was prompted by yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article called “As Doctors Get A Life, Strains Show”. The initial paragraph well describes today’s medical work environment:
“U.S. medicine is in the middle of a cultural revolution, as young physicians intent on balancing work and family challenge the assumption that a doctor should be available to treat patients around the clock.”
Even the AMA is admitting that this change may be for the better. According to Ronald Davis, AMA President:
“There has been a sea change in how young physicians today balance professional responsibilities and personal needs compared to their colleagues from a few decades ago…Physicians who manage their own stress and feel happy with their own daily circumstances are probably better physicians.”
If all goes well, tomorrow’s young physicians won’t have to face the wrestling match many of us have had to endure. This is one match that should end in a tie.
So, please don’t get upset if you learn your doc is off doing something personal. Just think about your own life and realize that he or she is not doing anything different than you do to blow off steam or manage your family. And, when you do see your doctor next, you’ll have a more attentive and focused doctor as a result.
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