to think that all GP's (Doctors) work part-time?

[popcornwizard]

Based on my tiny personal knowledge of 4 GP's that are friends, and a couple of others that are friends of friends etc, I'm coming to the conclusion that they all work part-time hours. Is this real? Or is it just the ones that I know. I have no idea whether any of the GP's at 'my' practice work full-time or not, but at least 3 of them work only two days/week.

So AIBU to think that they're a bunch of part-timers? And what causes this? Stress or lucrative locum contracts?

my best friend is a part time GP. she works between 50and 60 hours a week. Her workload is incredible . I don't know how she is still standing. I take my hat off to her.

Ha. No.

But if a GP did want to work part time, they’d have as much right as any other working person.

What is the problem with GPs doing part time??

'Part time' GP hours can easily be what most people would consider a full week.

The only ones i know who work part time are female so they can do all the childcare/ housey stuff

Full time wasn't compatible with children. I was working 12-14 hour days plus going in at weekends. There was no child care available to cover that plus I never saw my children. My part time hours are still 36-42 hours a week.

"AIBU to think that they're a bunch of part-timers?"

YABVU

’A bunch of part timers’

Nice. If they choose to work part time so what? It’s a very demanding job that lends itself well to part time hours. Most of the many GPS at my practice are part time and it probably makes them more effective as they aren’t completely burnt out the whole time.

Some also have other roles on different days, family commitments and, you know, a life? It takes years and years of slog to get to be a GP and it has many challenges. If they can afford to work part time I say good for them.

I have gp friends that work 'part-time' ie 3 days a week (as they have young kids) but the days are 12 hours long. So hardly what I'd think of as a short week.

I know quite a few who are "part time" in the GP surgery because they do a day a week in a specialism. I think that's a good thing though.

One of my best friends works "part-time". In reality, on the days she works she is out of the house before her children are awake and returns home about midnight. On the days she isn't in the surgery she often does paperwork and CPD from home. She is fantastic.

Why would you just make such a sweeping assumption? On top of that, why do you care or how is it any of your business? WTF is so amazing about FT work? I do it because I have to, but if I didn't, I wouldn't. It think it sucks.

Just to add, I don’t know any other working person that works part time hours, that works 40, 50, 60 hours a week as the job demands. I know plenty of GPs and other HCPs that do though.

This is as ignorant as the "teachers finish at 3pm" brigade.

Most of the GPs at my surgery work full time,

So what if they do work part time, it's their choice!

The male gps I know who work part time are either reduced due to extreme stress to avoid total burn out or breakdown or because they also have appraisal, teaching or management roles which cannot be done by non clinicians without which there would be no GPs at all as training and appraisal are compulsory to practice.

I don't do this very often but here, have one of these

Some of the GPs I know that do part time (so 3 days, 40 ish hours) have done so because the alternative was leaving altogether.

I'm not sure what the issue is if GPs do work part time? Weird thread.

I don't know how anyone can work full time in general practice. It can be an awful job!
(And as pp have said, part time GP is the same number of hours as other full time jobs)

I also think that people think that GPs only work when the surgery is open. That couldn't be further from the truth. Our local GPs cover 3 rural surgeries so goodness knows what time they have left. My cousin and his wife were both GPs in the same practice. When his wife was pregnant or nursing their children my cousin covered all his wife's out of hours work as well as his own in order to keep the practice going. He was a completely devoted and much loved local Dr. He took his own life at the age of 45.

Why so sneery about part-timers? You do realise that if you work part-time, you only get paid part of your salary? It’s not like you decide to work fewer hours and keep all the same benefits. And I bet part-time GPs still put in more hours per week than the average full-time worker in most other careers.

Three days in GP is often 36 hours, so that close to a full time week for most. Yes, most GPs do work part time in the surgery as full time nhs general practice is a rapid route to burnout.

People are entitled to work part time for whatever reason they like. I expect they have lots of different reasons (don't need a full-time wage because they are the second earner in their family, stresses of the job, family commitments, young children etc etc).

Re the part timers in your surgery - they might work 2 days in your surgery and 3 elsewhere as when they started that was what was available at that surgery.
What causes it? Well sometimes people want to work part time..... seems a good idea when you’re in a stressful job and also well paid enough that you can drop a clinic session. Plus you probably have unsociable hours do at least part time minimises that.

Even if you’re right I’m not sure why it’s a bad thing, like you seem to imply.