PROFESSION

Generation gripe: Young doctors less dedicated, hardworking?

Some older physicians believe the new breed's emphasis on their own lives puts patients second.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Feb. 2, 2004.

To some older doctors, long hours, late nights and always being on call were a testimony to their devotion to medicine.

They don't see the same drive in the new generation of doctors.

In a survey of physicians ages 50 to 65, 64% said doctors trained today are "less dedicated and hardworking" than physicians who entered medicine 20 to 30 years ago.

But younger doctors say that's not true. They say lifestyle considerations are shaping how they approach their practices and creating a healthier profession that strives to balance professional and personal lives.

One thing is sure: Older norms of practicing medicine are giving way to newer approaches, but not without some friction.

"There's kind of a loss of what it means to be part of the profession. Being a family physician has responsibility that sometimes extends beyond 9-to-5 and we have to be accountable to patients at other times," said San Antonio family physician James Martin, MD, board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Some younger doctors say older physicians who grumble about this shift in attitudes are envious.

"Just because younger doctors are getting better at setting boundaries between their professional and personal lives doesn't mean they are less committed. Without those boundaries, physicians risk burnout and being committed -- to a rehab unit," said Douglas Farrago, MD, 38, a family physician in Auburn, Maine.

The new Merritt, Hawkins & Associates survey includes older physicians' views about the next generation of doctors. None of the 436 physicians surveyed said doctors coming out of training are "more dedicated and hardworking" than physicians who entered medicine when they did.

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