Doctors do everything. It doesn’t matter how much they’re paid, they deserve to get more. Their days are long, their overtime is longer, and their lack of social life is depressing. They weigh lives and big decisions on their shoulders, and you can only imagine what that means.
If you can’t, we’ll walk you through a day in the life of a doctor, morning to night.
Early Morning
Most doctors will either work for a hospital or a physician recruiter. If they work for a recruiter, they might have more flexibility but often work in a hospital.
The working day for most doctors begins early. While the rest of humanity is still crawling out of bed, many physicians are already getting ready for their shifts. By 6:00 AM, many are already at the hospital or clinic, reviewing patient charts and catching up on overnight developments (dramas).
This serene period sets the tone for the rest of the day – and it doesn’t last long. They may grab a quick cup of coffee (or don’t have time) with a light breakfast (a biscuit), knowing they might not eat again until much later.
At 7:00 AM, morning rounds start, which involve seeing patients and checking how they are doing, reviewing and setting new plans. These rounds are essential because this is where doctors meet with their patients and address any concerns they might be having.
Late Morning
As the morning progresses, things start picking up pace, to put it politely. By around 9:00 AM, the outpatient clinic becomes busy with activities going on in full swing. It’s almost annoying; the amount of people there are.
Doctors keep seeing patients come in continuously, each with their problems or complaints. That may vary from standard check-ups to the diagnosis of new conditions. Every patient encounter requires flexible thinking and resourcefulness.
In between patients, some answer emergency department calls or consult specialists about complex cases – the ER phone ringing gets any doctor awake.
It’s a constant juggle of time management.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, you guessed it, there will be more patient appointments, surgeries, or procedures lined up. For surgeons, this means heading into the operating room for scheduled surgeries. For doctors, it means managing the patient load, booking tests, taking blood, and seeing more new patients.
With back-to-back bookings and a constant patient flow, it’s relentless. Sometimes, there will be meetings with their colleagues, reviewing lab results, or other interdepartmental coordination. Still, despite such a tight schedule, physicians still work to deliver good care.
Many doctors also attend or organize training, workshops, and conferences to keep up-to-date with their training, new research, etc, but that’s primarily junior doctors.
Call Duty at Night
Night, for doctors on call, is another ball game altogether. It’s tiring and unnatural – there’s nothing normal about being awake all night caring for people.
Being on call means being available to deal with emergencies, ward issues, and generally anything that might happen. It could be a late-night surgery or an urgent consultation in the emergency room. Night shifts are one of the most grueling aspects of being a doctor.
A typical day in the life of a doctor is structured and unpredictable. It involves moments of deep focus followed by calmness – although any doctor will tell you the calm is short-lived. Do you think you could be a doctor?
