Is Working Long Hours Your Badge Of Honor?

One of the founding members of the oncology practice I joined used to be the first person to arrive in the office and the last person to leave. I admired him and modeled that to be one of the characteristics of being a good doctor. It was translated to good work ethic included working long hours – beyond hours I was signed up for.

At first, that seemed to be the right idea. He was a highly respected physician, hard-working, smart, and patients loved him. As he was someone I looked up to, I followed his steps. I remember when there were the occasional days when I finished my work at 7 pm to go home, I felt weird and questioned myself if I worked hard enough, or if there was something else I should be doing.

Along with the long work hours, I extended that to include skipping lunch. I believed there was too much work for me to take a lunch break. What about other breaks? That was far from consideration. That culture of working long hours was extended to the patients’ belief. I remember when I told a patient that I would be away on vacation, that patient implied that it was wrong of me to take time off.

That was the beginning of a downward spiral. I have always worked hard. Working harder was something I told myself that I could and that was the norm as physicians. “Everyone” worked long hours, extra hours beyond seeing their last patient. Most physicians brought work home. I was just doing what most other doctors did. Then I started to feel tired. The chronic fatigue was gradually creeping in. I found myself not having adequate rest at night. I dreaded to go to work in the morning. If a patient was added on to my schedule last minute, it was almost worse than lifting a boulder by myself.

It was taking me longer to see patients, which included placing orders and completing their charts. That was more obvious toward the end of the day. It was getting harder for me to concentrate. I found myself prone to making mistakes – and thankfully, I was able to catch them.

I did not know. I did not know that I was getting burned out. You mean, physicians can experience burnout? Are we not like superman? No wonder I was physically and mentally exhausted. No wonder I was not enjoying my work. No wonder I was not able to fully engage in interactions with the patients and my family.

Since then, I have learned a few things. Working long hours is not a badge of honor, and it should be not be a badge of honor. Who gives out that badge of honor anyway? What is considered to be long hours is subjective. For many people, a 40-hour work week is normal for a full-time job. For physicians, your scheduled patient hours may be around 40 hours a week, and you may end up working more than 60 hours. Define working long hours in your own way. Unless you fully enjoy it and you are not exhausted by it, do not do it. Question it.

You do not have to show your worth by working extra hours. You do not have to take part in the misconception that working longer hours makes you a better physician.

Allow yourself to say no. If you are asked to work extra hours without compensation, you can say no. It is okay not to let others define what a good doctor is. You do your best according to your own values.

Working long hours does not equate to better work ethic. It does not equate to being a better physician. What are you sacrificing by working long hours? Your work may actually suffer. As you work long hours, your productivity decreases. You tend to make more mistakes. The overall quality of work declines.

You suffer. You are in chronic fatigue. You are trying to get by without the capacity to be present and enjoy your work. You are stressed physically and mentally. You know your desire is to work less hours yet you are working those extra hours.

What are some things you can do to shed this badge of honor?

Your worth is not defined by the number of hours you work. You are a great physician because of your medical knowledge and your genuine care for the patients. It is okay to say no. Allow yourself to take breaks during the day. A break is a time for you to rest your mind and body. It is a time for you to recharge, so you can be more efficient especially in the second half of the day. When you take breaks, you will feel less stressed. Take your vacation. A vacation that is free of work. Spend time with your family.

Examine your work situation. Is there something you can do to spend less time at work? For example, is it possible to cut down the time on charting and other duties? For me, I was able to cut down more than ten hours of charting time while seeing the same number of patients. Not working the extra long hours is to preserve your well-being. It is vital to rest and recharge so that you have the optimal capacity to take great care of your patients, to be fully engaged in conversations and connections.

Working long hours does not mean you are a good physician. You need the time to rest and recharge in order to be your best to do your best. Good-bye, badge of honor for working long hours – you can retire now.