Any - medical staff working hours

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Mon 3 Oct 2022 18:23
Any - medical staff working hours - _

Just a general question to ask.

I was listening in to a debate on Doctors working hours, amongst things that were mentioned were the number of hours and the pay rates for doing extra hours above the contracted working hours.

How many hours do people think a Docor (at whatever level) should work?

An example is 40 hours minimum (10 sessions) that in fact means more with overrunning clinics and the extra admin this causes. At one pont swmbo was doing 64 hours weekly and the reduced after a spinal op.

What is acceptable? are medics, nurses midwives etc allowed a family life?

I know that some others on the forum have family in these jobs, but what are your thoughts?

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Mon 3 Oct 2022 19:04
Any - medical staff working hours - Adampr

35-40 hours a week, like most people. If we need more doctors, you attract the good ones by paying them properly and treating them well.

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Mon 3 Oct 2022 23:15
Any - medical staff working hours - Andrew-T

If we need more doctors, you attract the good ones by paying them properly and treating them well.

There are certain lines of business where paying people well seems to attract the greedy ones, not necessarily the 'best' ones. The medical profession includes many rank-and-file members who are not paid at all well, but they continue to do a fine job because they find it rewarding. I have just had my ankle replaced and have full admiration for all the workers that looked after me for two days.

Some say that our training establishments, although admirable, don't offer enough places to satisfy the demand for doctors, so we have to import them, thereby depriving their own nations. Perhaps the upper echelons of NHS 'managers' might be investigated .....

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Tue 4 Oct 2022 16:10
Any - medical staff working hours - Crickleymal

I worked as a radiotherapy engineer in the NHS for 27 years. We did a standard 37.5 hour week but did overtime as required to fix broken machines. If that meant you worked till midnight so be it. We did it because the patients' needs were greater than ours.

The radiotherapists worked similar hours in most of the hospitals I worked in but in Cheltenham they definitely worked longer because Cheltenham took overspill from Oxford for some unknown reason. Believe you me the therapists jobs were far tougher than mine. They were on their feet for the whole of their shift and it was mentally and physically taxing.

I wouldn't be happy with doctors, nurses etc working much longer than 40 hours on a regular basis. You get very tired and mistakes creep in. And at one point (5 years ago or so) the Tories suggested that the NHS should work 24/7 in all departments. They obviously didn't think that through. It would require a massive increase in staff. Plus things like radiotherapy machines running for 24 hours instead of the 12 they normally did would have a huge impact on servicing. And that would also have a huge impact on the manufacturers of these machines who would be expected to provide support 24/7 and they were struggling to recruit staff back then.

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Mon 10 Oct 2022 01:11
Any - medical staff working hours - John F

Depends what you call 'working'. A career GP on call for a four man (they usually were men - few women would tolerate it) practice of 10,000 patients would be at the beck and call of telephone requests for advice and home visits from surgery closing time on Friday (6pm-ish) till Monday morning (8 am-ish); unable to go out, or even have an alcoholic drink if a responsible professional. This was after a four and a half day week of work. He would then embark upon another week's work.

I am somewhat tired of reading how hard and long some of today's GP's days are - only to learn that they work a mere three or four days a week! Many have never ever got out of bed in the small hours to drive miles in bad weather to see a patient, after a busy day at work, knowing that they must be alert for morning surgery in a few hours time.

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Mon 10 Oct 2022 07:00
Any - medical staff working hours - _

The question was/is..

How many hours should the Dr or nurse work.?

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Mon 10 Oct 2022 09:29
Any - medical staff working hours - skidpan

The question was/is..

How many hours should the Dr or nurse work.?

Simple answer, a 37 hour week like the rest of us plus overtime (paid) up to a fixed maximum when work load or sickness cover requires it.

Doctors and nurses working the hours that are expected of them is unacceptable. We have been taking advantage of them for far too long.

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Mon 10 Oct 2022 14:47
Any - medical staff working hours - Andrew-T

How many hours should the Dr or nurse work.?

From the opposite direction, one might ask 'how many hours work are required to satisfy the demand (which fluctuates with epidemics etc). Dividing one number by the other should suggest how many doctors and nurses are needed ?

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Mon 10 Oct 2022 15:37
Any - medical staff working hours - Theophilus

Same era John - in my first house-jobs I worked a 1 in 2 rota and averaged 96 hours/week (with no overtime pay) - I did it because of the job satisfaction not for the pittance of a salary.

My first weekend as a GP I did 44 home visits (many of them 11pm - 7am) and the week continued as usual from 7am Monday morning ... couldn't cope with that workload now (!), but it doesn't seem that the young ones can either.

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Fri 4 Nov 2022 23:28
Any - medical staff working hours - defluniclo

One of the most difficult things about being a medical professional is managing the demands of your career with the demands of your personal life. Unlike many other jobs, the hours of a medical professional can be unpredictable and often quite long. This can make it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In addition, medical professionals are often required to work on holidays and weekends, which can put a strain on family relationships. However, it is important to remember that every medical professional is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. Some medical professionals are able to manage their career and their family life without any problems, while others may find it necessary to make sacrifices in one area or the other. Ultimately, each person must decide what is acceptable in their own life.

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Sun 6 Nov 2022 08:50
Any - medical staff working hours - Maxime.

My niece has just tirned down a promotion as she would be required to do extra hours and finds her job stressful enough as it is.

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