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Doctor Doctor, Give Me Some (Good) News!

© Stephen Weistling

Wouldn't it be nice if we could make our own hours? Of course, especially since we each know what time of day is best suited for working. For me, a devout night person, the swing shift was just the ticket. I could sleep in the morning, play nine holes of golf, and be home in plenty of time to get ready for work at 4:00 p.m. Other shiftworkers may prefer just the opposite, getting up early, going to work and having the afternoon free for downtime. That's the positive side of shiftwork. If you can get the right shift, there's something for everyone.

Self-employed people may even have more control over their hours. My brother, an artist, also inherited the night owl gene. He often works until 3 or 4:00 a.m., and gets up in the late morning in time to get a few chores done, or work on his art, and then he's off to pick up his daughter at school at 3:00 p.m.

I read recently about a physician who was able to split her office staff into two overlapping shifts that accommodated their needs as well as the patients'. Originally, their office hours were the standard 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In order to take advantage of more afternoon "light" hours in the summer, the staff temporarily began working a 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. shift. A Saturday morning time period was kept to accommodate patients who couldn't come in during the week.

Many patients could now make appointments before work, and the staff, although they had to drive to the office in the dark, was satisfied with that arrangement. In fact, they were so satisfied that they soon lobbied to continue the experiment thoughout the year. That posed a problem. What about those patients who couldn't get off work by 2:00 p.m. in order to get to the doctor?

Fortunately, the doctor found a PA (Physician Assistant) who (being a night person) was happy to come in later in the morning and stay until office closing at 6:00 p.m. A medical assistant was added, and was willing to go along. A receptionist also joined. Before long, the office had two "shifts" and covered a much larger portion of the day for patients.

So what happened? Morale couldn't be higher, and although the morning commute must often be done in the dark, no one is complaining. Patients with urgent care needs can always get in to see the PA in the afternoons. The MD and PA alternate Saturday mornings. Patients are happy. The medical staff is happy.