Work hours for practicing obstetrician-gynecologists: The reality of life after residency

Recently the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education placed restrictions on all residency programs that limited work hours to 80 hours per week. The objective of this study was to determine the work hours for practicing obstetrician-gynecologists in an urban center. A questionnaire about physician demographics and work hours was mailed to all obstetrician-gynecologists in Houston in June 2002. χ 2 testing was used for statistical analysis. One hundred eighty-nine surveys were mailed. One hundred surveys (56%) were returned complete and analyzed. Sixty-two physicians reported working >80 hours per week. Physicians were more likely to work >80 hours per week if they were men or if they were >50 years old. Marital status and having children living at home did not affect work hours. Most obstetrician-gynecologists in Houston work longer hours than the number of hours that is imposed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education resident work hour guidelines.