In honor of National Doctors’ Day, join us as we celebrate our “Special Docs” and all physicians across the country working tirelessly to provide the highest quality care to their patients.
A bit of history surrounding this significant day: the first Doctors’ Day observance in 1933 consisted solely of mailing greeting cards to physicians and their wives and placing flowers on the graves of those deceased. The date – March 30 – was rich with meaning to the medical community, as it marked the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia during surgery in 1842. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush officially designated March 30 as a national holiday (DoctorsDay.org) and more than 25 years later, we are privileged to continue expressing appreciation to these most dedicated professionals.
At Specialdocs, we appreciate the amount of time physicians need to care for patients well and stay abreast of the newest knowledge in a constantly evolving field. We’ve highlighted a few statistics to show just how much time that may involved throughout an accomplished medical career:
- More than a decade of medical education: Between college, medical school, residencies and fellowships, the American physician spends an average of 14 years training to practice medicine.
- Busy workweeks: Most physicians work between 40 and 60 hours per week; almost one-quarter of physicians log between 61 and 80 hours per week (AMA Wire).
- After-hours professional development: A survey released by Doximity revealed that 98 percent of physicians thought reading medical literature was important or very important to their practice…and almost half reported spending at least one to two hours per week reading medical news online from their smartphone, computer or tablet.
Physicians, we want to hear from you. Why did you decide to enter the medical field? What have been your greatest joys and your greatest frustrations since you’ve started practicing medicine? Share your experiences with us on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.