Part-time medical practice: Where is it headed?

One of the fundamental tenets of medicine has been the centrality of the profession as a life calling; physicians work long hours and routinely sacrifice personal interests for professional demands. In 1993, only 13% of clinical faculty and 6% of basic science faculty members of U.S. medical schools worked part-time.1 Historically, female physicians have been more likely than their male counterparts to work less than full time. Yet, despite increasing numbers of women in medicine and increased interest in personal time for self and family, U.S. medical workforce projections have forecast only a 3% decrease in the anticipated full-time equivalent of physicians over the next 10 years. (aut. ref.)