When Drs. Robert Wachter and Lee Goldman coined the term “hospitalist,” they gave a name to the new medical specialty. They also created a special work schedule for these physicians.
Hospitalists are accustomed to working long hours over the course of several consecutive days. Early on, it was common for hospitalists to work 12-hour days, seven days on then seven days off. Now, many hospitalists and administrators are re-thinking this strategy. In fact, Dr. Robert Wachter himself even called the 7-on, 7-off and long shifts “a mistake” in his address at the Society of Hospital Medicine 2016 Annual Meeting. His remarks received enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
Wachter went on to explain why he initially supported the 7-on, 7-off strategy to scheduling hospitalists, and it made sense on paper: emergency department physicians could work 10- to 12-hour shifts three days a week because patient continuity isn’t much of an issue; for a hospitalist, a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule would be disastrous to the continuity of care to inpatients.
His speech highlighted a serious problem for those working in this specialty – burnout. In a January 2024 survey by Today’s Hospitalist, more than 57% of hospitalists who treat adults said they experienced significant or very significant burnout.
When the pollsters asked about burnout based on the hospitalists’ years of experience, they found that the problem grew in significance the longer the physician remained in the specialty.
Wachter agrees. When he and his cohorts first conceived of the specialty, most hospitalists were on the young side; Wachter thought the 7-on, 7-off schedule would be something those who were just finishing residency and looking for their first job might be interested in. Arguably, these young workers would be glad to trade personal time to advance their career.
As the hospitalist job description aged, so did the hospitalists. The average age for hospitalists is 44, according to Becker’s ASC Review. Working excessively long hours or too many consecutive days gets tougher as we age, particularly in high-stress positions. Smart physician scheduling can change all that.
Hospitalist Scheduling Software and Emergency Medicine Scheduling Can Help Restore Life-Work Balance
Long hours, heavy patient loads, and the demands of providing complex patient care are stressful and can lead to burnout, dissatisfaction, and poor life-work balance. A steady diet of seven 12-hour days can weaken the will of even the most dedicated and energetic hospitalist, and it shows – hospital medicine has a higher turnover rate than many specialties, with a mean turnover rate of 10.9%. Replacing hospitalists can be pricey, ranging from $88,000 to $1,000,000 per doctor, and this can be tremendously stressful for physicians and hospitals alike. A stunning 39% of hospitalists reported that they intended to leave their current position in a recent survey by the AMA. Smart hospitalist scheduling software can take the stress out of hospitalist life, and it can keep hospitalists practicing happily in their current position. Contact ByteBloc to learn more about reducing emergency physician burnout and burnout of hospitalists with the use of shift scheduling.
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