Doctors Want Controllable Lifestyles

Doctors don't want to work 80 or 90 hours a week. They just want a life without beepers and being on call 24/7. More like a 9-to-5 job -- where they can leave and forget about their work.



The New York Times reports that a remarkable shift is going on in the medical profession right now in the United States. Lifestyle considerations are driving more doctors to specialties like dermatology, radiology, anesthesiology and even emergency-room medicine. All of these specialties allow doctors to put work behind them when their shifts end.

"The symbol for 'controllable lifestyle' is dermatology. And when residents graduate they can count on plenty of faces and bodies to heal and reconstruct, thanks to an aging, and affluent, population."

This trend comes as the medical profession is already strained due to overwork.





Although this signals a shift from past patterns, is it any surprise that medical students and doctors are emphasizing quality of life over compensation? Like many other small business owners today, doctors want their work lives and the personal lives to co-exist in greater harmony and balance.