News and briefs: Part-time positions appeal to many categories of physicians

Males near the end of their careers and females at the beginning or middle of their careers are the two groups of physicians most likely to seek out part-time schedules, according to an article in American Medical News. The article cites a recent study from Cejka Search and the American Medical Group Association that found the number of physicians working less than full time increased significantly since 2005, when they conducted a similar survey. In 2011, 44% of female physicians said they worked a part time or flexible schedule; in 2005 this number was 29%. For male physicians, the number increased from 7% to 29%.

Wilfred Watkins, MD, a 77-year-old urologist in Nampa, Idaho, tells American Medical News he was getting ready to retire but realized he did not want to leave medicine. His private practice is open one half-day per week for long-time patients, and he works one or two days at a local Department of Veterans Affairs facility. "It's the best thing I didn't retire," he says. "I would have gone crazy."

For physicians who do not own a practice, a large, physician-owned practice is the best place to look for a flexible schedule option, according to the survey. Of respondents who work part time, most work in a practice with 500 or more physicians (20% for male physicians; 23% for females). For practices with 50 or fewer physicians and hospital-based practices, the percentage of survey respondents who work part time is in the single digits.

To read more of the survey’s findings, and how demand for flexible work schedules is affecting the industry, click here.