• Question: Does your work take over your social and private life?

    Asked by Cerys to Ali on 4 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ali Blatcher

      Ali Blatcher answered on 4 Nov 2017:

      Hi Cerys!
      What a brilliant question.

      As a doctor you have to work really long and unsociable hours, its undeniable. It does depend which job you are on, as certain specialties like a&e are worse than others, like gp.

      I find nights and weekends the hardest. Night shifts mess with your sleep pattern and this can affect it for up to a week afterwards. Weekends are usually when you miss out on fun things that are happening! You can have weeks where it is 8-5 though.

      It is something to consider when applying to be a doctor that this will be the case. On the other hand, doctors are usually very sociable and have monthly “mess parties” where everyone gets together and has fun!

      Hope that helps,
      Ali

Comments

  • Photo: Adrian

    Adrian commented on :

    I used to have a job that took over all my life and after a car crash on the M1 I sat waiting for the ambulance and realised I needed to change things around, so I did, ended up changing jobs and now I balance work and family time. I still have to do a couple of evenings a month, but I take the time back when it suits me. I also make sure I have plenty of regular holidays to recharge and get away with the family. And I make time for my hobbies, which helps me to relax.

  • Photo: Phil

    Phil commented on :

    The best thing about general practice is that there are so many different types of job, it’s usually quite easy to find one that suits your work/life balance. When I was single I was a complete work-a-holic so I worked full time then did lots of medical stuff in my free time. Now I’m married with a ten month old, I still work full time, but over 4 days so I have 3 days a week with my family! All those extra bits have also had to take a back seat for a while. When I was training to be a GP, there were lots of night shifts and weekend shifts, but now there’s lots of rest periods after those shifts so you can catch up with friends and family. If you find it difficult, you can also apply to train part time.

  • Photo: Deborah

    Deborah commented on :

    It could do if you let it. I think shift work and hospital life was much more demanding on my life. Working in General Practice I do have weekends off, although often use my own time for studying and catching up on admin. I think you have to set yourself clear boundaries – there will always be times when you have to stay late because of emergencies, but otherwise most things can wait until tomorrow.