We see doctors everywhere in the hospital, some more familiar than the others, and that depends heavily on the doctors’ clinic schedule.
We see doctors everywhere in the hospital, some more familiar than the others, and that depends heavily on the doctors’ clinic schedule. There are doctors doing overtime shifts just to compensate with the patients’ needs, but will it also affect their ability to cater to quality patient care?
Doctor’s clinic hours
A typical schedule a doctor follows depends on the institution with which he is tied up. For hospitals, consultants and specialists allot at least 2-3 hours of office time to tend to their outpatient clients. For resident doctors though, they follow an 8-hour to 12-hour shifting schedule, depending on the number of doctors available and the level of care a hospital is allowed to serve.
Clinic hours for private medical practitioners sometimes follow an office hours schedule, commonly 8 am to 4 pm. Some may offer on-call services, like paramedics and house-call doctors.
Effects of clinic hours to patient care
Accidents and mishaps know no schedule; they happen anytime, anywhere, any day, to anyone. That is why having available medical assistance at the time of an accident or injury, no matter how serious or minor it is, is relief in itself. Knowing that a doctor can assist you and help in making you feel better makes you feel at ease that you are in good hands all throughout the situation. But what if your doctor is also exhausted due to a long tiring shift and he looks like he is incapable of making you feel better?
Location is also a very common problem especially for patients from rural communities whose access to hospitals and clinics are limited. You can go to a clinic or hospital by traveling far and wide and when you arrive, clinic hours are already over.
One of the key skills a doctor must have is to work long hours while under pressure. They are saving lives, and not just tinkering on cars and trucks. They should focus and concentrate on how to make a person feel better through medical treatments efficiently delivered. They may be physically exhausted, and that is a problem that they should address to the hospital management. But in order for them to become great doctors, they have to set aside physical ailments and attend to the patients’ needs first.
