Are hospitalists working fewer shifts per month?

WHEN IT COMES to shifts worked per month by hospitalists, new data show that several groups have had a small but possibly significant drop in their work hours.

Data from the Today’s Hospitalist Compensation & Career Survey found that on average, all hospitalists responding to our survey last year reported working 14.6 shifts per month. In our 2023, by comparison, that number came in at 14.8.

That difference—just over 1%—is probably too small to be significant on its own. But data throughout our survey indicate a slight drop in the number of hospitalist shifts worked per month across most subgroups and settings.

Compare shifts per month worked by adult and pediatric hospitalists, for example. Adult hospitalists in our 2024 survey reported working 14.8 shifts per month (down from 15 the previous year). For pediatric hospitalists, the mean number of shifts per month was12.4 (down from 12.7 the previous year).

These may not be monumental reductions in the number of shifts worked, but the fact that many hospitalists do report slightly reduced workloads may point to a trend. Here are some other key data points on hospitalists’ number of monthly shifts, including several groups who reported an increase in how many shifts per month they work.

Shifts per month by geography

The biggest—and most significant—drop in shifts per month can be seen by looking at a map. Hospitalists in the Pacific region reported working 14 shifts a month, down from 15.1 in our previous survey. That’s a drop of 7.2%.

Another group reported a similar drop. Data from the Southwest show that hospitalists there reported working 15 shifts a month, down from 16.1—a 6.7% drop.

Here’s a look at the number of shifts per month for all the regions in our survey:

• Northeast: 14.8 (down from 15.1).
• South: 15.0 (unchanged).
• Midwest: 15.0 (down from 15.3).
• Mountain: 14.7 (up from 14.4).
• Southwest: 15.0 (down from 16.1).
• Pacific: 14.0 (down from 15.1).

Employer type’s effect on shift numbers

The next biggest drop in the number of shifts worked per month was seen among hospitalists at universities and medical schools. That group reported working 13.7 shifts a month, down from 14.6 in our previous survey, for a 6.2% reduction. That’s also the lowest number of monthly shifts worked reported by any full-time adult hospitalist.

Here’s a look at shift numbers per month based on the type of employer hospitalists work for:

• Hospital/hospital corporation: 14.7 (down from 15.0).
• Local hospitalist group: 15.7 (down from 15.8).
• Multispecialty/primary care practices: 16.2 (down from 16.3).
• National hospitalist mgmt. company: 14.8 (down from 15.2).
• University/medical school: 13.7 (down from 14.6).

Who had an increase in shifts per month?

Several groups bucked the above trend and reported an increase in monthly shifts in our survey.

Hospitalists paid based solely on productivity, for instance, reported working 17.4 shifts per month, the highest of anyone in our survey. That number jumped from 17 in the last survey for an increase of 2.4%.

Hospitalists paid solely via salary also reported more shifts per month than in the previous survey, but the difference was tiny. These hospitalists reported 14.8 shifts per month, up from 14.7.

Countering the above trend, hospitalists paid a combination of salary and productivity bonuses (the largest group) reported a drop in shifts per month from 15.1 to 14.7 in our most recent survey. That’s a drop of 2.6%.

Finally, another group reported what appears to be a significant increase in work hours, from 14.3 to 15.1 shifts per month for a 5.6% increase Those hospitalists, however, have the unfortunate distinction of saying that burnout is “very significant” for them.

For more data on how physician compensation is affected by bonuses, experience, shift work and location, check out our overview on hospitalist pay.