One of the reasons I chose emergency medicine as my field of work is that I work shifts and can have a pretty good home life. I work hard at work, but then I get to leave it behind. A lot of primary physicians work 10-12 hours for 5 or 6 or even 7 days a week; they even take call that may have them receiving phone calls during all hours of the day. How they do it, I don’t know.
My typical schedule is very untypical – no pattern at all, working both day shifts and night shifts. However, I usually only work 3 or 4 shifts a week. Additionally, as the medical director for our group, I have several meetings per month that I need to attend. Compared to my primary care colleagues, my life is pretty good.
These past two weeks, conversely, have been absolutely brutal. Having a partner on an extended vacation while already being short a physician made for a very long stretch of shifts:
The good news is that I’ve got some days off coming up and I intend to have some good quality time with Linda and the girls. I envision a lot of biking and a lot of movies. I might also get some time in the Doctors’s Lounge. We’ve got family coming to town for a family reunion. These next two weeks are going to be a lot better than the last two.
