Christopher R. Bailey and Allison M. Greene

Time is indeed a valued commodity to all. But for young adults who choose to pursue a career in medicine, the time to pursue personal dreams is often clouded by the very real strictures of required pre-medical coursework and expected research and volunteering.  As we evolve from college students to medical students, we are often so consumed by our work that we become defined by it.  Fortunately for us, medical school might not be as monopolizing as the road we take to get there. Today, many medical school programs advertise the flexibility of their programs, which allows students to pursue outside endeavors in the arts, travel abroad, or even conduct side projects within the field.

For students, opportunities for extracurricular endeavors strengthen our ability to think abstractly, broaden our perspectives on the world, and most importantly, they strengthen our capacity to relate to others. In our opinion, the nonacademic lessons we gain through life experience translate to better patient care and more successful cooperation with colleagues.  Extracurricular explorations expose students to experiences that they can call upon when it comes to meeting, communicating with, relating to people.

Apparently, the increase in “free time” is not limited to medical school. As Dr. Pauline Chen describes, many young residents are afforded more time for outside interests due to mandates that limit work to 80 hours per week (1).

On the one hand, some critics of the “more free time” movement suggest that restricting physicians’ workweeks will have deleterious effects on patients.  Specifically, patients have unique complexities that must be considered for their individual treatment.  If patients are transferred between multiple doctors because of time restrictions, patient care will become depersonalized. On the other hand, it is reasonable to predict that more free time during residency can translate to better care.  A well-slept physician is probably more focused and in a better mood than a sleep deprived physician.  In addition, increased time for travel, hobbies, or social activities makes physicians more interesting people.  When it comes to patient interaction and watercooler banter, it helps to have things to talk about.

A few months ago we asked a friend of ours, a hepatobiliary surgeon, whether he thought it was difficult or even dangerous to perform surgery on little or no sleep.  “You learn to get used to that,” he said.  Maybe he was right; doctors can learn to function on little sleep.  But they cannot learn to appreciate or relate to their patients’ experiences if they don’t have time to accumulate life experiences of their own.  We are optimistic that these new measures to decrease physicians’ workweeks and, in effect, increase their free time will allow them to accomplish independent goals that will result in greater personal fulfillment and deeper interpersonal understanding.

References

1. Chen P. Is a Well Rested Doctor a Better Doctor? The New York Times. April 7, 2011.