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Physician work hours were relatively stable from the 1970s through most of the 1990s, with most doctors working about 55 hours per week. Average weekly hours began to decline in the 21st Century, declining by a whopping 7.6 percent between 2001 and 2021.
While the need for care is rising dramatically, a growing number of doctors want to work fewer hours and have more control over their shifts. Today’s scheduling software can help them do that.
Exodus of Older Doctors and Their Longer Work Hours
Older physicians, who statistically work longer hours than their younger counterparts, are nearing retirement age. Doctors aged 65 and older make up about 20% of the clinical physician workforce, and those between the ages of 55 and 64 account for 22 percent. Undoubtedly, many of them would like to slow down and work fewer hours as they glide into retirement.
Their slowdown and ultimate retirement create a significant void, especially when coupled with the growing physician shortage. The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the United States will be short by about 86,000 physicians by 2036. The shortage would be even greater if underserved communities were to obtain care at the same rate as populations with ample access to care.
While an increase in the nation’s aging population is a major factor in this shortage, the desire to improve physicians’ life-work balance also plays a significant role. Burnout is a serious problem among medical professionals, and especially for doctors who feel that they have no control over their schedule. Without relief, burned-out doctors leave clinical care.
Enter the New Age of Physicians
Younger physicians will take the place of their older predecessors, of course, but they will likely be interested in working fewer hours. The extent to which they’ll cut back is still unknown, although a survey published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that two in five physicians intended to reduce their clinical work hours within the next year. This uncertainty and decrease in available doctors can complicate physician scheduling.
In addition to shorter hours, today’s doctors also demand greater flexibility when it comes to physician scheduling, so that they may have a better life-work balance than the doctors they replace. In a 2017 survey by the American Medical Association, an astounding 92% of millennial doctors said that work-life balance was a priority, but a paltry 65% said they had achieved a healthy balance between the two at that point in their careers.
In the 1970s, physician scheduling was still done with pen and paper weeks or months in advance, and a completed schedule was set in stone – last-minute changes typically involved switching shifts with another physician, and often resulted in especially long shifts or too many consecutive shifts.
Today’s scheduling systems are done online with medical scheduling software. The highest-quality shift scheduling systems use sophisticated software that is versatile, fast, and reliable, which will appeal to younger physicians. Modern medical scheduling software can also help physicians take control over their life-work balance in ways that decrease burnout.
For more information on how physician scheduling and emergency medicine scheduling may be more complicated as more doctors start working fewer hours, consult with ByteBloc. Our stable, innovative, and forward-thinking shift scheduling software can make bridging the scheduling gaps easier. ByteBloc’s MD scheduling software can help provide your healthcare organization with the consistency and reliability you need this year and in decades to come.
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