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?

Yes the average GP does in fact only work 3.5 days a week. And only 5% of trainees ever plan to do the job full time. They get paid so much their is just no need for them to work any longer than that.

Wizard - if that was to me - a pp said GPs being part time to parent their children was the problem !

Are GPs the next target? This OP is so stupid in its presumptions it's unbelievable.

I have only ever heard the phrase "a bunch of part timers" used in a derogatory way to imply shirking, being lazy, skiving, etc.

I think that this is the problem

Except it's not a problem. Anyone can choose to work part time if that's what suits them and they are offered the opportunity.

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.

Anecdata =/= evidence.

My brother is a GP and works 3.5 days a week. He can support his kids on this so why not ?

I'm a practice nurse and all our GP's are pt. As are all the nurses (and my other public sector friends). Who the hell would choose to work ft in general practice if they can afford not to? Most of us are counting down to retirement.

Even part time, GPs work a STONKING amount of hours. And what causes this? Stress or lucrative locum contracts?

They're normal people who want an actual life outside of working 80 hour weeks? They have families who they actually want to see?

If you work on an industry where you actually get to work part time hours when you choose part time working, I can understand your thinking.

If you already work 40+ hours as a 'part-time' GP on 3.5 days contract, why would anyone sane choose to do more?

I'd rather be seen by a gp (or taught by a teacher) that wasn't overworked and knackered, personally.

Yep. I reckon it's partly due to higher rate tax (and being able to afford it).

This OP is so stupid in its presumptions it's unbelievable.

And why would you say this? I am merely wondering if part-time hours in GP's is the norm. I have no 'problem' with anyone working any hours for any reason, I just wondered what the reason is. I thought it was pretty straightforward OP to be honest. I read a thread on here about another part-time GP and just wondered if it is the norm based on my experience. Nothing for people to get so upset about.

GPs in cities don’t work full time at a single practice. They will be spread across practices and in some cases might be doing private work on the side. It’s a bit of a farce really but whereas my local GP won’t see me for 6-8 weeks at my practice, he can be seen straight away at one 5 miles away, and if I pay (via Bupa or BMI) I can often see him with an hours notice.

Very few if any GPs work the hours they did 40 years ago when they did all their own out of hours/ night calls.
It's all contracted out to out of hours service.

Gps are paid very good money - over £100K.

They don't work any harder I'd say than many professionals on 6-figure incomes.

Part time means it's often very hard for a patient to get continuity as illnesses don't occur at the same time as a GP is available. The days when GPs had 1 day off a week or half a day so you could rely on seeing 'your' GP are long gone.

The days of seeing your family dr are over and sadly it's the patients who are getting the bad deal.

There is such a shortage of GPs anyway that drs can call the shots- so women GPs with families- who seem to make up the bulk of GPs nowadays- can demand family friendly hours.

Fair enough, but for some people like my elderly parents, when 'their ' GP takes all school holidays off, or works short weeks, they don't get continuity of care and this has caused REAL issues for them, actually affecting the outcome of their health.

My friend is a part time GP. We would meet up on Tuesday evenings. She was meant to finish at 1pm but frequently came straight from work having not eaten at 8pm....

I imagine most part time GPs are working 37hours even if they are supposed to be part time.

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

This whole paragraph is YABU.

All of our doctors work part time due to having a young family, nearing retirement or other work commitments taking up their time... I can't remember the last time I came into work and didn't haven't tasks waiting for me from them that weren't sent in the middle of the night... one of the partners is on holiday with two children under three at the moment. Still working. Because they have a ludicrous amount of work to do. So take your assumptions and shove them up your arse

I don't know any part-time GPs personally.

My GP works part time. She is brilliant. Who cares what hours she works

Well, I work NHS full time - 37.5 hours per week. By what I read on this thread, a lot of 'part-time' GPs work more hours than that. So not really part-time, is it?

Some people will only believe people are dedicated to their job after they've worked themselves to death in it...

there's no continuity when you family doctor burns out trying to work full time and is replaced with a series of locums. Also the job 30 years ago was a very very different one in terms of stress and expectation than it is now. 20 years ago I got a long lunch break, capped surgeries. Few evening/night call outs and hospitals managed complex care. I've seen it change and it cannot be how it used to be any more to the detriment of both patients and doctors.

They are well,paid yes, but part time is more like full time

If my partner worked 10 sessions (e.g. 5 full days) he would be working 65 hours per week. Not only would I never see him, he would have a nervous breakdown - the amount of pressure on GPs is ridiculous. I have seen him in tears from being abused by patients and because he is forced to cut corners at every turn just to get through the sheer volume of work. He regularly has dreams that he drops the ball on something and is criminally prosecuted. If I make a mistake at work, the worst that can happen is that I'll get the sack, not kill somebody and be put in jail for it.

@queenofthenights Very few if any GPs work the hours they did 40 years ago You're kidding right? Have you any idea how much the scope of work has increased for GPs? And how much patient numbers have increased by? How much funding has been cut per capita? How much less time each GP has to see each patient? The two are in no way comparable.

@cherries GPs in cities don’t work full time at a single practice. My partner is a GP in a city who works full time at a single practice, as do the vast majority of his colleagues and around 10 of my friends in other cities. So that kind of blows that statement out of the water.