Is there a Work/Life Balance in the OR?

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 20, 2015

It's quite easy to balance work and life- as long as you know your personal limits and the call doesn't become incredibly excessive. Our main OR rules: 1 eight hour block of call per week. Work every third weekend plus maybe a call shift. Our specialty teams are a little bit more (okay, a heck of a lot more) call, but it's still possible to maintain a work-life balance. It takes a little effort and knowing how to say no when you're asked to stay late for the third time that week when you're not on call. It also really depends on the facility- when on call, are you called in for every case or is it an emergency resource for when the poop hits the fan? Is it a large trauma center that sees a lot of traumas but adequately staffs all 3 shifts? Is it a tiny hospital out in a rural area where emergencies get transferred to other facilities? These are all things to consider.

I personally work on one of our specialty teams where the weekly call requirements are anywhere from 32 hours per week to 64 hours per week if it's your weekend. Even with that and having to stay late frequently to finish cases because we don't have a second shift, I still have plenty of time to be with family, cook a healthy dinner, walk my dog for a mile or 2, and anything else I feel like doing (or not doing, as the case may be).

Bell13, ASN · Jan 20, 2015

Thanks for your input. Small hospital. 6ORs one weekly on call day from 11a-7p and one weekend day for 24 hrs every 3rd week. Sounds manageable but at the same time I do not want to waste valuable time and training if I am not the right fit.