How many hours do pediatric surgeons work?

Pediatric surgeons typically work over 40 hours per week. Many keep weekly schedules of 50 to 60 hours, however, some can also put in over 70 hours in a work week.

The reason for the wide variety in pediatric surgeons' work hours is the fact that there are fewer pediatric surgeons than general surgeons in the medical field. Being specialized in pediatric surgery demands that these medical professionals be ready to work more hours than the average surgeon.

Pediatric surgeons have to work many hours, particularly if they specialize in an aspect of pediatric surgery that is in high demand. This is one of several reasons that they have particularly long work weeks with lots of hours. A pediatric surgeon's work week hours can fluctuate from week to week depending on their patient load, and other factors as well.

Many pediatric surgeons also must remain on-call, meaning that they could get called into work at any time in the event of an emergency. Critical pediatric events and emergencies may happen at any hour, so these surgeons often work irregular hours due to the surgical needs of their patients.

They can keep relatively more busy schedules than other surgeons. It is also important to note that a pediatric surgeon's working hours can be affected by the following factors:

• The medical environment they work in (hospital, clinic, etc.)

• Their specific employer

• The level of their experience

• The stage of their career they are in

Here are some different medical locations that employ pediatric surgeons and the work hours these professionals have at these facilities:

• Hospitals

Most hospitals operate on a 24-hour schedule, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Pediatric surgeons in this working environment might have any given shift around the clock. This includes early mornings and late nights. They must also remain on-call in the hospital setting resulting in a somewhat unpredictable amount of work hours each week.

• Pediatric clinics

Some pediatric clinics operate during traditional business hours, like 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Pediatric surgeons in this work environment are most likely to work traditional business-hour shifts of eight hours for five days a week. However, they are still likely to put in over 40 hours in an average work week.

• Private practices

Pediatric surgeons that work in private practices have more flexible work scheduling options. This might result in them choosing to work part-time hours in the range of 25 to 35 per week, the traditional full-time hours of 40 per week, or a schedule of over 40 hours per week. This also depends on what stage of their career they are in and their patients' specific needs.

• Pediatric surgeons at schools

Pediatric surgeons that work in academia generally work traditional hours of 9am to 5pm, or whatever the specific institution's school hours are. These pediatric surgeons are the most likely to have a more traditional work week of 40 hours.