Sometimes scheduling can be a challenge. Annemarie Whiddon, MD, a rheumatologist at the Denver Arthritis Clinic in Colorado, works part time in a setting where inpatient consults are not handed off to other providers, which can lead to childcare challenges. “Fortunately for part-time physicians, rheumatology is primarily an outpatient specialty, but specialties that are based more on shift work—such as emergency medicine—are probably easier in terms of a more predictable schedule and fewer responsibilities once one leaves the hospital or clinic,” she says.
Part-time work also has an appeal for rheumatologists eyeing retirement, or for those looking to scale back while still staying active—a trend that’s growing. “Physicians who are not ready to fully retire can continue to practice on a part-time basis, which is critical during this time of physician shortage,” says Barber.
“They are no longer interested in taking the financial risks of maintaining a solo, private practice on their own, but they’re not quite ready to hit the golf course every day,” says James A. Jenkins, PhD, managing partner of rheumRx, a rheumatology practice-management consulting service based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., says of physicians who scale back their work hours when nearing retirement. “So, they sell their practice to a younger physician but continue to come in, perhaps a day or two a week, to see patients,” he says.
Scheduling Considerations
In a quest for flexibility, rheumatologists who want to work part time should also be flexible about their scheduling arrangement, because part-time work as a physician doesn’t necessarily mean clocking in for 20 hours a week and signing off at the end of a shift. It could mean reduced hours, one extra day off a week, or job sharing. Dr. Santora is at her practice three days a week. When Dr. Shepherd was working part time, she was off on Mondays and worked 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. three days a week, and 8 a.m. to noon on a fourth day. Similarly, Dr. Whiddon works two days a week for a private practice and takes calls two or three weeknights a month and for one weekend every six weeks.
All physicians interviewed for this article say their days off rarely mean they are truly out of touch. Days out of the office still often involve administrative tasks and phone calls. “Having an electronic medical record is helpful because I can check labs and phone notes from home. However, that is also a double-edged sword, because if I am working at home then I am not spending time with my children,” says Dr. Whiddon.
