Typical patients per day and weekly schedule

[ccesssu123]

What's the usual pace of ophthalmology clinic like in academics and especially in private practice? I've only had exposure to the academic side where 15-20 patients per half day is pretty standard. And 30 per half day for retina.

And how's the weekly schedule? Get in at 8? Weeks of vacation? Would the 'median' days worked per week be 5? I've heard of people working 4 or 4.5 day weeks but am not sure how common it is (in either academics or PP). Just trying to get a sense of things away from the ivory tower

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[mjohnsonets]

It really depends on the area, the doc themselves, and the support staff in the office. Then you have to factor in traditional patient relationships vs. a co-managed surgical referral practice as well. Here's a break down of what is frequently disclosed to me by docs I recruit and practices I recruit for:

Anterior segment clinic in private practices - 30-60 patients per day although some get as high as 65, average I'd say is about 45
Retina clinic in private practices - 40-90 patients per day with some claiming infrequent volumes of 100+, average I'd say is 50-60

Academic practice I'd say you're spot on although I do speak with some who see more than that in retina clinics.

As for the specific time of day they start, that's actually not something I've heard/get into much so I'll defer to someone else on that one.

For private practice:
Average vacation days for a new resident/fellow coming out are 2-3 weeks personal with 1 week for CME. Experienced docs can get more. I would say most practices want associates working 5 days per week but come across more who are open up to 4 day per week schedules. Some will pro-rate pay when they agree to this some won't. Most docs I talk to end up working more like 4.5-4.75 days per week though because their surgical day is typically not a full day unless you're in retina.