Surgeons work an average of 50 to 60 hours per week, and this does not include their on-call hours. Surgeons' shifts can be anywhere from 12 to 28 hours long. Many private surgical practices and hospitals do not allow surgeons to work for over 80 hours a week.
Surgeons typically have a dedicated schedule, performing surgeries on specific days, and then researching and providing emergency care to others.
Many surgeries require multiple hours to complete, and can even last for 10 or more hours, meaning most surgeons don't experience the standard work day of 8 hours. Surgeons generally work less than six days a week because their shifts can be long.
Most surgeons work a predetermined amount of hours in a hospital or private clinic setting. In addition, they will also have on-call hours, which means they need to be available to come in to perform surgery or other medical duties at any time, but they can be home or elsewhere until needed.
Surgeons' on-call schedules vary depending on what kind of surgeon they are and whether they work in a hospital or private clinic. A surgeon in a private clinic is likely to have more on-call hours because these facilities typically have less staff than hospitals.
In certain instances, on-call surgeons may only be needed to give medical advice or information over the phone. Other times they may have to come in to perform emergency surgery.
This also depends on what type of surgery they specialize in. For example, a neurosurgeon is more likely to have to come in because of their advanced knowledge than a general surgeon. Veteran surgeons are likely to work more and longer shifts due to their experience level.
