Balancing work and personal time can be challenging, especially for those in the medical field. Medical professionals entering the workforce with families will probably have to prioritize work-life balance even higher. But the benefits of achieving such a balance will not only make you feel better personally—they will also help make you a better physician to your patients.
That said, various medical careers and specialties will have major differences impacting work-life balance. Prospective and current medical students should consider these impacts carefully. Certain specialties can greatly influence physicians’ lifestyles, family lives, opportunities for advancement, workload, and the variety in cases presented at work.
For doctors, work-life balance can be a difficult accomplishment, but there are many ways to be successful.
So, which specialties tend to provide a favorable work-life balance?
In-demand fields of medicine, like primary care, can offer doctors more flexible schedules making it easier to juggle personal and professional responsibilities.
“Primary care is unique in medicine because there is so much flexibility in how it can be practiced. It is also well suited for part-time opportunities,” says Linda Girgis, MD ’94, a primary care doctor practicing in New Jersey.
Dr. Girgis says that many physicians in her field now practice outpatient medicine rather than inpatient medicine. This allows physicians to avoid late-night admissions in the hospital.
“These doctors also have the option of going into private practice or working under a hospital system, both of which have their share of benefits and challenges,” Dr. Girgis explains.
Of course, work-life balance is achievable in specialties other than primary care, but it may require a different approach. Procedure-oriented specialties could require long hours and early wake-up times. Thus, physicians in those specialties may have to be more intentional about how they schedule their time at work and at home.
“Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, and don’t neglect your friends/family more than you have to. This is all about finding balance as you get better at your practice,” advises David Thomas, MD ’12, a current advanced fellow for transplant and oncology infectious diseases at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL.
Tips for preventing burnout (as told by recent SGU graduates)
As with those in any profession, doctors with the best work-life balance have most likely cultivated lasting healthy habits in their everyday life.
For some St. George’s University graduates, including Ifeatu Egwuatu, MD ‘23, a healthy work-life balance started on campus. His SGU experience taught him how to juggle multiple responsibilities at once.
“Having been on the board of the SGU’s Student Government Association, I had the opportunity to hone the skill of time management by combining my responsibilities with the SGA with that of medical school in such a manner that I was able to maintain a high standard in both areas effectively,” says Dr. Egwuatu, an internal medicine resident at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. In other words, managing his time effectively allowed Dr. Egwuatu to flourish in both medical school and his extracurriculars.
That said, establishing a healthy work-life balance continues to be a work-in-progress for many physicians, and habits may need to shift with life’s new challenges. As an internal medicine preliminary resident at Richmond Medical Center in New York, Nanditha Guruvaiah, MD ’23 knows this to be true. One strategy that has helped Dr. Guruvaiah is keeping her eyes on the prize.
“Achieving the perfect work-life balance is something I’m still working on. I would credit my academic success to the fact that I knew what my goals were very early on, and I created multiple plans to make sure my goals came to fruition,” says Dr. Guruvaiah, who will complete her residency at Wake Forest University in advanced diagnostic radiology.
For Dr. Guruvaiah, planning ahead and saving time for self-care are both critical for work-life balance and avoiding burnout.
“I’m a stickler for schedules and I try my best to complete my tasks for that day. On the other hand, I try to devote at least one hour a day to something other than studying that will make me happy like watching a TV show, going for a walk, or listening to an audiobook. This small, yet important, habit goes a long way in avoiding burnout,” she says.
Practice what you preach
Physicians may want to consider implementing the advice they oftentimes give to their patients. Medical professionals know more than anyone about the long-term consequences of stress such as that caused by burnout. Prioritizing your well-being will set a good example for your patients to prioritize their well-being.
Garima Gupta, MD ’15, an oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine tumors at O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center in Birmingham, AL, agrees.
“It’s crucial to have a work-life balance no matter [at what] stage of life you are in,” Dr. Gupta says. “The key to doing that is making it a priority and paying attention to maintaining your mental health to prevent burnout. We often educate our patients to maintain an exercise schedule and participate in hobbies that bring them joy but forget to follow this ourselves.”
Considering medicine? Don’t let work-life balance deter you
Are you thinking about a career in medicine? Balancing your career and other parts of your life as a physician may seem daunting, but it is certainly possible, as told by multiple SGU grads across various medical fields.
Still have questions? You can get answers by reaching out to SGU graduates to learn about their firsthand experiences, including their experiences with work-life balance.
St. George’s University Medical School can help set up students for success in their careers in medicine. For more information about how to get started, check out our article “Understanding the Medical School Application Process.”
