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?

YABVVVU.

Firstly - so fuckin what? Whats the issue with part time in ANY profession? Why the hell shouldnt anyone have the choice to be part time without being negatively labelled?

Secondly - are you fucking kidding me? Do you realise part time hours for a GP can still be 40 hours a week? And thats not just GPs...nurses, pharmacists, you name it.

We had this EXACT thread 3 or 4 days ago. Get over it OP

So it does in fact seem that most probably are part time. I don't know why people are getting so shirty, 'a bunch of part-timers' is just a turn of phrase, not a personal insult. Hence the query of whether it was money or stress that curtails working hours.

It's something I've always wondered - again based on my tiny sample of 4 close friends and the others, and the occasional thread on here.

I suspect OP is one of those GF that think they can’t get an appointment at their surgery and the NHS is on it’s knees because of the lazy frontline staff. I’m coming across these people more and more recently.

My OH is a GP. He leaves home at 6.30 am and gets home at 7.30 pm with a 30 minute commute. He never has a lunch hour and our new born son doesn’t see him for 4 days a week due to these hours (48 per week over 4 days). He is ridiculously overworked and very few people appreciate what he does for them so yes I think YABVU.

Also in the last 15 years 4 GPs in my area alone killed themselves because they couldn't cope any more....

I lot of GPS only work part-time. Because not many people can take the stress and long hours that true full time working involves in medicine.

When they say they are working part time, it will not mean that they are only doing 21 hours. Far from it.

when not in clinic - Doctors can be doing phone appointments, meetings re management of surgery, paperwork re letters & reports & management of surgery, TRAINING COURSES to keep up to date (capitals because people don't recognize the importance) research in speciality & extending expertise, working in speciality elsewhere, training other staff (including training student GP on placement) Goodness they are lazy aren't they (sarcasm!)?

What does it matter how many hours they choose to be contracted for ?

It’s a derogatory ‘turn of phrase’ OP that you didn’t have to use unless you were trying to be deliberately obtuse. If you worked part time, how would you seriously feel if someone referred to you in that way?

We had this EXACT thread 3 or 4 days ago. Get over it OP

Apologies, I don't have the time to read every thread that appears on mumsnet, but on occasion I have seen a topic repeated without anyone having the need to tell the OP to get over it. Will PM potential new threads for you to check in the future.

According to the BMJ you are woefully misguided by the MSM and anecdata.

83% work full time but "only" a maximum of 32 hours of this will be patient facing.

www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j3059

Not actually seeing the issue even if they are "a bunch of part-timers", I would far rather consult a GP with a semblance of work / life balance than a burnt out workaholic.

@popcornwizard - it is daft to make a judgement on the working practices of ALL GPs based on a statistical sample of only four!

It is only slightly less daft to consider that 33 anecdotes on a MN thread is statistical proof that your original (baseless) assumption was correct.

I agree with you and I think it's a combination of locum and lucrative contracts.

Most of the GPs I know are mothers who fit their surgery around parenting. I think that this is the problem.

My female friends who are GPs work part-time, as they all have children. The days that they do work seem to be incredibly long.

I'm amazed there are any GPs left. It seems like such a stressful and thankless job. You couldn't pay me enough to do it - even part-time!

If you worked part time, how would you seriously feel if someone referred to you in that way?

I do work part-time and I don't see it as a negative thing. I am a part-timer as I do not usually work full time hours.

YABVU

Yes, a lot do technically work PT (3 or 4 days rather than 5) but often end up doing 10+ hours on their working days

In those circumstances, and with the pressures that they are under it's not hard to understand why many choose not to work 5 days a week as the risk of burn out is high

Sorry i didn't realize it was a 'problem' to want to parent my children and not contribute to the massive GP shortage by jacking it in completely.... I know of very very few GPs who locum as well as working part time in a regular job other than occasionally covering reluctantly as there is no other bugger to do the work that day due to said shortage....

All of the GPs are part time at our surgery. Other days they do clinical supervision at the hospital, GP training, lecturing at the university and policy making with regional/national health care bodies.

So yes, they are 'part-time' - the 'slackers'

Is this the new 'teachers all go home at 3pm' thread?

No, it's not real. My GP works 3 days at our surgery and 2 at another.
I imagine that probably adds up to full time x 2 of a regular office worker.

Thank you GPs (part time or otherwise).

If you have 4 friends who are GPs, why not ask them if its the norm in that field? Surely they will have a better idea of whats "normal" for actual GPs than a bunch of people who are probably not GPs.

it is daft to make a judgement on the working practices of ALL GPs based on a statistical sample of only four!

Which is precisely why I asked on here - I assumed that there would be a few people that are GP's and/or that know one or two and so would be able to state whether or not my assumption is right.

It is only slightly less daft to consider that 33 anecdotes on a MN thread is statistical proof that your original (baseless) assumption was correct.

My assumption is not 'baseless' as it is based on the fact that 100% of GP's that I know work part-time. I wanted to know if this was the norm. Statistical proof is as fickle as any other internet 'proof'.

businessthics
I agree with you and I think it's a combination of locum and lucrative contracts.
Sorry, what ?
Why is it more lucrative to be contracted for 24 hours a week than for full time ?
PART TIME doctors are paid PART TIME salaries FFS