Any idea how many hours your doctor works per week?

[NNN0LHI]

I don't know where my doctor is all the time and I do know there are times when he is on call but generally his office is open 4 days per week for about 4 hours each day. Now I know he has to do his rounds at the hospital, and there has got to be other time consuming stuff a doctor has to do, but how many hours does an average General Practitioner actually work in any given week?

Now back 30 years ago when the doctors were getting 10 or 15 bucks per office visit my doctor was working probably close to 40 hours a week. But now with the cost at about a hundred bucks per visit and less people have insurance not many people go to the doctor any more so the numbers are way down. The doctors working hours are down too I think?

For mine I think its about 20 hours a week at most.

Does that sound about right?

Don

[Vinca]

1. My doctor works part-time, a couple of days a week.

I don't know what else she does with her time because I haven't seen her in a couple of years. Come to think of it, I've only seen her twice in total. I was grateful she took me, an uninsured leper, on when I discovered a bullseye rash associated with Lyme Disease.

[eleny]

2. Five days a week from 8 to 6

He also takes a Saturday on a rotating basis at the office. But I think it's one of his 5 days.

[gkhouston]

3. My PCP's office sees patients about 30 hours/week. She puts in more hours

than that, though, because she sees drug reps and does patient calls outside of appointment hours.

[NNN0LHI]

7. My doctor schedules the drug reps just like a regular office visit

Not uncommon to have one with his/her suitcase on wheels sitting next to me waiting their turn to see the doctor just like everyone else.

Don

[gkhouston]

13. That used to be the case with my PCP. Now, they're not allowed to schedule

at all during certain times of the day. I only see them if I happen to have an appointment last thing in the morning or first thing in the afternoon. (The doctor takes a long "lunch break" where she actually does a lot of phone calls and drug reps. It also lets her catch up on her schedule if one of the morning appointments turns out to be more complicated than anticipated.)

[mainer]

21. But that's a non-billable hour. The doc actually loses money.

Most docs avoid drug reps like the plague.

[Obamanaut]

4. I usually see a PA at the doctor's office. The dr in the practice is there, or

at the hospital, five days a week, and hospital checks on alternate weekends.

The PA is in the office 5 days, 7 am to 4 pm

[emilyg]

5. My doc - 8-5.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. No, unless your GP has an arrangement with the hospital

to work half time... mine does that way she can raise her kids too. Her husband is a doctor too, a GP as well. She works forty + hours a week... all the paperwork you never get to see. He works close to sixty if not more, There are things doctors have to do that you are not aware off, like keeping up and CE...

My brother is a specialist... on a good week he only works 80. On a bad week, he works close to a 100.

[Missy Vixen]

8. Our doctor works 8-6

He's a GP, and is the only doctor in the office. He also treated my husband for free when Mr. Missy Vixen was out of work and we had no insurance coverage. He helped us fill out the paperwork for www.needymeds.com as well.

He earns every penny he gets paid. He's wonderful. We wish everyone had a doctor like him.

[CreekDog]

9. except for vacations, i've never called my dr.'s office and found she was out

i think she's usually there 5 days/week 9-6 (appointments are 900-500)

[OhioChick]

10. Ours is in daily from 9-6 and every other Saturday...

Plus does morning rounds daily.

[grasswire]

11. fewer doctors do hospital rounds now

Hospitals employ their own physicians called "hospitalists" and they handle the in-hospital care.

[tammywammy]

12. My doctor's in the office from 8-5, except Thursday I believe he leaves at noon

He does his hospital visits before the he starts. Oh, and he rotates with the other doctors for the evening and Saturday clinic.

[DesertFlower]

14. my doc retired last year at age 78.

his office was open 4-1/2 days a week. many times he called me as late as 7 pm from his office where he was going over results of tests.

i was able to reach him on his cell phone on a saturday night when i had a reaction to an antibiotic. another time i reached him while he was food shopping.

[alc]

15. my neighbor: 40+ hrs/week in the office and always on call

I almost never do anything with him for more than an hour that he doesn't take a patient call (and our family's are together over an hour pretty often). And he's barely paid himself for over 2 years - they live on his wife's salary. He runs a private family practice and insurance doesn't even cover his costs many months, much less enough to pay himself. He's known for over a year that he'll need to join a group practice but doesn't want to do that to his patients (the group will force less time with each patient and other things that interfere with the actual health care).

Not all doctors are making a killing (I do personally know others who are specialists and make a lot, plus an er doc and general practitioner who are not making much).

[HuckleB]

16. You're not even close.

Those who work fewer hours, do so by choice, for family reasons, and make less money, accordingly. Most work full schedules, with on call, hospital rounds, staff meetings (for their clinic and the hospitals), continuing education. Many work well into the evenings doing dictations, contacting specialists, and coordinating care.

[taught_me_patience]

17. My wife works 40 hours/week

30-35 of which is patient consultation and 5-10 charting and administrative.

GP in a small office.

[raouldukelives]

18. I might if I had one

I mean, afford one.

[Dappleganger]

19. My GP's office is open Monday through Saturday.

She does her best to accomodate working families and stays open weekdays until 7PM and every Saturday morning (8-12). She has 2 practitioners who are on staff. She works her ass off and does everything she can to get meds to those who either don't have money to pay or are short on it.

[AndreaCG]

20. My GP works 12-8

Very convenient for us 9-5ers. I almost always get a same day Appointment. I presume he does hospital rounds in the AM. This is in NYC.

[EFerrari]

22. I don't have a doctor but when we worked with a bunch of docs

in a medical center, they all put in full days. Stayed after hours, too, working on business. Their wives or partners put in even longer days.

[Tracer]

23. One of my docs (surgeon) ...

... operates at 3 hospitals, holds office hours at 2, sees patients on rounds on Saturdays, and teaches at a medical school.

He's a terrific physician, but it's a wonder that he still has the strength to stand upright.

[cutlassmama]

24. 40 hrs a week

[NotThisTime]

25. 8-5 5 days a week, half days every 4th Sat. plus rounds...