

Interestingly, nearly one-fifth (19%) reported spending 20 or more hours a week on paperwork and administrative duties. That pushes the total average hours per week worked to 40 to 55 hours per week. In the Medscape survey, more than half (57%) said they spend at least 10 hours a week on administration. However, one-third reported spending 46 hours or more per week seeing patients.īut those Medscape numbers don’t include the time physicians say they spend per week on administrative tasks. Most of my patients are not taking any psychiatric medications, I mainly work in psychotherapy. For ongoing treatment, 30 - 45 minutes weekly or more often. A 2017 survey by Medscape, for example, found that more than half of doctors (53%) reported spending between 30 and 45 hours a week seeing patients. The most rewarding aspects of a physician’s practice are their relationships with patients. Answer (1 of 3): For a first time evaluation, 60 - 75 minutes. Two other surveys find more variability in how many weekly hours physicians report working. or organizational effectiveness average amount of time the physician spends with the patient, sometimes used as an indica- tion of some aspects of adequacy.

But nearly half (41%) said they were happy with their schedule most of the time. When Physicians Practice asked doctors how many hours they would prefer to work, 57% said they wish they worked fewer hours. More than one quarter (26%), for example, reported working between 51 and 60 hours, while 14% reported working between 61 and 70 hours.

Family physicians reported working an average of 51 hours per week, while internists reported working 54 hours a week on average.Īnother survey, which was conducted by Physicians Practice magazine in 2017, found that while half of physicians reported working 50 hours or less, a sizable number work significantly more. Physicians in that survey reported working 52 hours per week, a number that has risen slightly during the last few years. Another survey conducted last year by Medical Economics found similar results, but with slightly more detail by specialty.
