Physicians who are employed by hospitals could run into trouble balancing scheduling with parenthood, according to Ben Bradenham Jr., MD.
Dr. Bradenham, a gastroenterologist at Gastrointestinal Specialists in Richmond, Va., spoke with Becker's ASC Review about how private practice can offer physicians who are parents a more flexible schedule.
Editor's note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and brevity.
Question: What will attract the next generation of physicians to private practice?
Dr. Ben Bradenham: The organizations that are going to attract the highest quality physicians in the future are those with cultures that do more than lip service to create a work environment that understands what it takes to be physician and a parent. Specific examples include: a part-time work model (most important), flexibility at the beginning and end of the day to facilitate child care drop-off and pickup from school/day care, having a ‘hard stop’ at the end of the day to allow parents to know they can make it home by 6 p.m. to take Alex to her soccer game, and flexibility in employment track.
Part-time employment opportunities have been difficult to implement in both surgical fields and procedurally heavy medical specialties. As a gastroenterologist in private practice, I believe that those willing to be flexible in their employment models are the organizations that will thrive and be the most effective in attracting the next generation's best physicians.
Q: Where does physician education fall short?
BB: The identification and prevention of burnout has been an increasingly popular concept in medical education. This has manifested mostly as an effort to emphasize to medical students the importance of balance in their lives and to take care of themselves through exercise, etc. While helpful for some, I believe this effort will only go so far in preventing physicians from burning out and leaving the workforce early.