Many physicians tend to work long and irregular hours. Over one-third of full-time physicians work 60 hours per week or more.
Physicians work in one of a number of specialties. A physician could be a family practice doctor, a surgeon, a psychiatrist, an anesthesiologist, a gastroenterologist, a cardiologist, or an ObGyn (which stands for obstetrics and gynecology). There are many other possible specialties.
The setting for a physician's work depends on his or her specialty. General and family practitioners, psychiatrists, pediatricians, ObGyns, and many others work in private or group practice, in an office or clinic. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, and emergency room doctors work primarily in hospitals, or in surgical or urgent care centers.
Many specialists work in both an office setting and in the hospital. For example, a cardiologist may see patients in her office during normal office hours, but also go on call on nights on weekends and see her patients in the hospital when they have problems.
In 2003, about two in every five physicians were in primary care (including general practice, family practice, ObGyn, pediatrics, and internal medicine), and not in a subspecialty.
Physicians and surgeons held about 567,000 jobs in the United States in 2004.