Overworked And Overstressed: Are We Turning Doctors Into Patients?

Overworked doctors now becoming patients? Are they overworked and overwhelmed, at a time when politicians are gearing up to negotiate compulsory weekend work for consultants, despite entrenched opposition from the majority of those in the medical profession?

Doctors Feeling Overworked And Stressed

Recent reports indicate that 80% of senior hospital doctors are seriously considering taking early retirement due to increased stress and workload. 74% of GPs say their workload is ‘unmanageable’ and report feeling increasingly vulnerable to being overworked at work. The job of a GP is only getting tougher, with increased accountability and an unenviable remit of responsibilities, from clinical demands to juggling surgery finances to managing employees. Taking on so much responsibility is pushing our doctors closer to chronic overwork, with very few able to articulate their problems.

Chronic Overwork But Remaining Silent

It comes down to character and doctors are skilled at hiding their feelings of being overworked in the workplace. For instance, before they take on the excessive demands as a practitioner, they first have to go through the rigours of medical school, which conditions certain behaviours, including perfectionism (can doctors afford to be wrong?) and psychological strategies that help defend doctors from the pain and anxiety they come across daily.

However, there is a breaking point from being overworked. It seems like we are converging on that point with the introduction of a seven-day week for the NHS, which will not only affect the workloads of many but also cost hospitals an estimated 1.5% to 2% of their budgets.

Rebecca Young

Rebecca obtained her BA (Hons) degree from Manchester Metropolitan University and began her career in HR whilst working in the Private Healthcare Sector. It was during this time she went on to complete her Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management at Manchester Metropolitan Business School and developed a very keen interest in employment law.

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Disclaimer

Overworked FAQs

How does being overworked affect physical and mental health?

Being overworked can affect both physical and mental health. Feeling overworked and stressed can lead to poor sleeping patterns causing potential danger to themself and their co-workers. Chronic overwork also takes a toll on one’s mental well-being and can lead to mental exhaustion, depression, negativity and ultimately poor job performance.

How does being overworked in the workplace affect productivity and quality of work?

There is a correlation between the number of hours worked and productivity per hour. Studies into chronic overwork have been conducted that have found that working 50 hours or more, productivity per hour declines are sharp. It is deceptive to think that long working longer hours lead to increased productivity – the opposite is true. In the case of overworked doctors, there are very real risks to patients in the form of misdiagnosis and malpractice.