Getting The Balance Right - How Medical Students Plan To Juggle Work Family and Life
The next generation of Australian doctors will be more inclined to put family and lifestyle issues on the same level as medicine - and more will choose to work part-time - according to a two-year study of medical students.
The study was conducted by Dr Helen Tolhurst, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Discipline of General Practice, University of Newcastle, and Dr Stephen Stewart, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and is published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.
Using a combination of focus groups (82 students in 10 groups) and individual interviews (48 students), the researchers sought to discover how the students saw the balance between their future careers as doctors and their family and private lives.
Dr Tolhurst says that for many years it has been the norm for doctors in Australia to work more than 40 hours per week, but there are already clear signs that pattern is changing - and the new study indicates that faster and more significant change is on the way.
"Changing work patterns of doctors will have an enormous impact on the medical workforce and patient care," Dr Tolhurst says.
"Extended working hours are a source of stress for many more doctors than ever before.
"Although women doctors already work fewer hours than male doctors, the reality is that many find the conflict between their roles as doctors, mothers and wives a significant source of stress.
"With women now making up 50 per cent of medical students, this is going to have a significant impact on the delivery of medical services in the future.
"But it's not just the women. Both sexes are concerned about the impact of vocational choice on family life and lifestyle - and this is borne out by our study."
The study makes a strong recommendation to the medical profession to continue to develop working and training structures that allow a balance of work, family and lifestyle.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
CONTACT: Dr Helen M TOLHURST 0418 606 376
Judith TOKLEY, AMA Public Affairs 0408 824 306