Which area of specialization in medicine have NO night or weekend call?

Question

And hours are normal and not too long...? Are there any surgeons that have normal hours?

Answer 1

I can hardly think of any speciality but why dont you try dermatology , psychiatry , nuclear mediicne or rehabilitation medicine......... i think any one of them may suit you

Answer 2

I wouldn't go into medicine if you're looking for a regular schedule. You find a specialty that suits your personality and skills, but it may change a lot once you're practicing so you have to love what you do.

Diagnostic radiology used to be a 9-5 job, looking at x-rays and not much else. Then along came ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, PET scan, interventional radiology. Now, surgeons, oncologists and other doctors want radiologists available 24/7 to read films to help with diagnosis and treatment so the field has now become radically different than it was 25-30 years ago.

I'm in radiation oncology, so I don't have a lot of call but when I'm called in it could be nights and weekends, often to tell someone for the first time that their cancer is no longer able to be cured and that I'm there to help with symptom relief. You can't put time contraints on these important discussions if you want to do it well, and I wouldn't expect it to be different in any other specialty. Do what you love, and the rest will follow.

Answer 3

Once you have established your career, you may be able to find a practice opportunity that involves no night or weekend call. I did, and I'm an anesthesiologist. However, I paid my dues earlier in my career.

If you want little to no call, try radiation oncology, dermatology, or physiatry. They are not easy to get into, though, and if your reason for wanting to go into those specialties is to avoid call, they'll probably pick up on that and you won't get a residency spot. ER docs work shifts, and after time you might be able to get day shifts, or a job in a "doc-in-the-box" clinic with regular hours.

You have to choose a specialty based on what you love, not on how little you can get away with working.

Surgeons rarely have normal hours. Even the plastic surgeons I know take call, because they do more than just cosmetic. They are involved with hand surgery and maxillofacial stuff. And sometimes, the ER docs call them to close facial wounds on young women (better scars).

Answer 4

Ummm, if you are looking into medicine and want to restrict your hours, you might want to rethink that career field. That being said-
I know that there are plastic surgeons who have regular office hours in free standing clinics. They usually (where I live anyway) have surgical suites in their facilities, but have agreements with hospitals so that they can have the benefit of using the hospital's operating rooms if they have a patient with risk factors for complications that may need more resources than they can offer in a clinical surgical suite. They set their own hours, close the clinics while on vacation, etc. I know that my plastic surgeon had an agreement with a hospital so that if an emergency arose after hours, the hospital could access records for his patients if they consented to it.
Whichever specialty or field you are looking into you will probably be able to find a position that fits your schedule, but you will still have to go through the long hours of residency, etc.
If you are looking for a cushy job/lots of money/ normal hours, then become an attorney, and file frivolous class action lawsuits against big businesses.

Answer 5

It will depend as much on your practice as your specialty. A lot of outpatient procedures are done Monday to Friday. If your patients have no complications, your clear for the weekend.

Answer 6

i don't think surgeons have "normal" hours. just watch ER! but i guess either physical therapists, dermatologists, or chiropractors have less demanding hours.

Answer 7

Maybe if you look toward working in the lab you could find a better set of hours

Answer 8

Dermatologists rarely work for emergencies.

Answer 9

An orderly.