Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 5/1/2008

Question
hi i am interested in working in the same field as you.
i was just wondering what your work hours per week are.
also i do not understand if anesthesiologist are "on call" or even what that is. my problem is that due to religion i would be unable to work on sundays and really prefer to have some quality time with my family at the end of the day. would this be possible?
thanx in advance,

Answer
Work hours depend on where you are working (private vs academic) and are different during residency and private practice. During residency you might work up to 80 hr/wk but after you graduate, that will drop to 40-60. On call means you are available to do cases during off hours (nights and weekends). That could be in-house (you stay in the hospital) or home call (depending on the type of practice you have). As for the sunday call, many people have the same problem (Orthodox Jews can't work on Saturday). There are several options. It is unlikely that your partners are going to allow you to miss every Sunday (that would not be fair to them) but they might let you work less. What many Orthodx jews do is to do OB call when they have to work on Saturdays (a jew can work if he is saving a life and delivering babies qualifies). You will get more quality time in Anesthesia than other specialties but all fileds in medicine require a major commitment of time.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston