NEJM: Part-Time Physician Practice on the Rise

According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine, physicians in part-time practices are increasing.

In 2005 part-time physicians made up 13% of the physician work force, now part-time physicians are at 21% of the workforce. The fastest growing segments of these physicians in the work force are men approaching retirement age and women in early to mid-career.

Quality of life is an increasing concern amongst physicians seeking new or modifying current practices. It is a consideration many new graduates are seeking in new opportunities. Mostly the change in schedule is driven by physicians also wanting an active family or home life.

Despite the physician shortage, facilities and private practice groups are compromising with existing employees or offering flexible schedules to prospective candidates to stay competitive and offer quality of life to their employees. Depending on the specialty, some practices simply allow the part-timers to work out their own schedules as long as other members of the group have equal coverage or options. Some groups or facilities require formalized arrangements with fixed schedules set well in advance. Multi-specialty groups like his are more amenable to nontraditional schedules.

Income typically is still based on a volume model, similar to full time physicians. Most part-time physicians are compensated on a prorated basis, depending on the number of hours they practice or the volume of cases they handle. Most groups also provide health and retirement benefits and offer little changes to CME benefits.

In this changing healthcare environment, many facilities and groups are being more accommodating to attract and maintain their physician workforce. Whether offering part-time employee options, partner/ job sharing, or other options, it is important to be flexible to maintain physicians.

Read the full article at The New England Journal of Medicine, or click here:
http://www.nejmjobs.org/part-time-physician-practice-on-the-rise.aspx