The ICU doctor posted his work record for the previous week on his facebook page, directing his post to many of his former residents and medical students, as an example of how recent rules limiting their work hours to 80 hours a week was not preparing them for 'real' life. Somewhat proudly his record revealed he had worked 102 hours that last week as a locums doctor at an outside facility from his usual academic job. The tone of his note was one of disdain for these new rules and a wake up call for these young doctors. 'Real doctors' work long and hard.
I would argue it is the fine doctor that needs the wake-up call. Most of the time the ONLY reason doctors work such extreme hours is money, not for the doctor but for shareholders and administrators. Better to pay one doctor overtime than hire one or two more doctors to more properly cover the shifts. Better only for the bottom line. He is being taken advantaged of to the determent of patient care, the staff, his family, himself - all solely to enhance administrative bonuses and bottom lines. It is not heroic to allow this to happen to oneself - it's dumb. 'Real doctors' I would argue are rested, sharp, and always on their game - with balanced lives and happy spouses and children - and are not working 100 plus hours a week.
There are communities that do in fact experience real physician shortages, requiring local docs to to step up and attempt to cover real need. But in this day and age of easily accessible locums doctors as a stop gap measure until real recruiting effort is fruitful - even these areas are suspect. More often than not medical organizations are simply unwilling to pay for temporary doctors and are slow to recruit due to monetary concerns - in effect taking advantage of the local doctors who often confuse being used by business people as an altruistic call to duty - 'real doctors' work long and hard.
This is not in our society's best interest. It's not in the interest of good patient care. And it's a lousy example for our up and coming physicians. Doctors need to get over themselves, stop wearing 100 hour work weeks as badges of honor and grow up. 'Real doctors' know how and when to say enough.
I would argue it is the fine doctor that needs the wake-up call. Most of the time the ONLY reason doctors work such extreme hours is money, not for the doctor but for shareholders and administrators. Better to pay one doctor overtime than hire one or two more doctors to more properly cover the shifts. Better only for the bottom line. He is being taken advantaged of to the determent of patient care, the staff, his family, himself - all solely to enhance administrative bonuses and bottom lines. It is not heroic to allow this to happen to oneself - it's dumb. 'Real doctors' I would argue are rested, sharp, and always on their game - with balanced lives and happy spouses and children - and are not working 100 plus hours a week.
There are communities that do in fact experience real physician shortages, requiring local docs to to step up and attempt to cover real need. But in this day and age of easily accessible locums doctors as a stop gap measure until real recruiting effort is fruitful - even these areas are suspect. More often than not medical organizations are simply unwilling to pay for temporary doctors and are slow to recruit due to monetary concerns - in effect taking advantage of the local doctors who often confuse being used by business people as an altruistic call to duty - 'real doctors' work long and hard.
This is not in our society's best interest. It's not in the interest of good patient care. And it's a lousy example for our up and coming physicians. Doctors need to get over themselves, stop wearing 100 hour work weeks as badges of honor and grow up. 'Real doctors' know how and when to say enough.
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