Padgett 1

Sophia Padgett

20 March 2018

Ms. McDermott

English 1 Honors

Work-Life Balance

It is a typical stereotype that a doctor is not satisfied with their personal life because their

job occupies most of their time. However, everyone knows stereotypes are never fully accurate.

It is true that some doctors are discontent with their personal life. But for how many is this true?

Their work lives can be busy, but there are many other aspects of day to day life. Perhaps the

doctors who are unsatisfied value the aspects that are changed by their work. Perhaps the doctors

who are content value other aspects. Or, maybe, having a certain specialization affects their level

of satisfaction. There are many different ways a doctor’s job could alter their personal life. This

leads me to the question: how does a doctor’s work life affect their personal life?

Work life and personal life are dependant on each other; therefore, they both induce

change in one another. An article in an academic journal by Maniam Kaliannan et al., graduates

of The University of Nottingham in Malaysia, reveals that if a doctor’s workload is heavy and

they do not have a lot of time for themselves, they tend to have a sense of an uneven balance

between work and life. Most doctors are displeased with their work-life balance, proving that

most doctors have a heavy workload and long hours. Later, Kaliannan’s article concludes that

giving doctors less hours and a lighter workload would have many benefits. For example, the

article states improving the work-life balance of doctors “develops engagement and employees

are productive, happier and motivated” because doctors would have higher satisfaction with their

lives (Kaliannan et al. 343). When people have more time to take care of themselves, the quality
 Padgett 2

of their work improves. They are less stressed which causes them to feel organized and at peace.

This feeling of placidity makes them feel more satisfied with their life and career. They can also

do better at their job because they are able to focus. In another academic journal’s article, about

life role salience and how it affects a doctor’s job, Biljana Stoilkovska et al. (from Methodius

University) agree with this by stating that most employees have a goal of a healthy work-life

balance. It also captures how both personal and work life can affect each other. Studies done on

healthcare professionals “highlighted the importance of organizational orientation toward

employees, their commitment to work and family roles, and their subjective well-being, as

characteristics that might contribute to higher work engagement, success and family satisfaction”

(Stoilkovska et al. 281). Overall life satisfaction is caused by feelings of organization and time. If

doctors have time for their own life, they are happier and more productive. Family roles also

contribute to contentment with life as a whole. The article also said organizations which support

doctors with families lead to doctors having higher life satisfaction. Families may cause stress

for doctors because they need time and attention. Doctors and surgeons are very busy saving

other people’s lives. Sometimes surgeons and doctors can’t save a life. An article written by

Wallace Chan et al., a professor in the department of social work and several doctors, about how

dealing with death at work impacts doctors proves that the death of a patient can cause emotional

“challenges (for example, aroused emotional distress from work) and existential challenges (for

example, shattered basic assumptions on life and death)” (Chan et al. 33). Doctors have a lot of

weight put on their shoulders to cure someone or save their life. If they do not succeed it is very

stressful for them. They are responsible for the patient and that includes a patient’s death.

Because of this, doctors have very drastic changes in how they view life and that may change

how they go out and live their own life. In summary, doctors go under lots of stress with
 Padgett 3

workload, time, and death. Despite all that, they persevere and find ways to cope with how their

career affects their personal life.

In conclusion, a doctor’s personal and work life affect each other greatly and in many

ways. The amount of work and time doctors spend closely affects their job satisfaction. Having a

job in the medical field includes seeing people who are sick, dying, and/or dead already. This can

cause emotional stress which leads to less job satisfaction and therefore less satisfaction with

their day to day life. Some doctors also have big changes in the way they view life which also

causes them to live their personal life differently. Most employees have a goal of a healthy work-

life balance. The working conditions of hospitals have been getting better; however, doctors are

still unsatisfied. Some doctors do not have enough time for their families, let alone enough time

for themselves. Today people are still trying to get hospitals to lessen working hours and better

working conditions. If this does happen, overall doctors’ life satisfaction will increase. This

affects me because I want to be doctor or surgeon. Researching how my personal life will be

affected if I choose this career and shadowing at Loyola Hospital will help me figure out if it is

the right job for me. Doing this gives me a better understanding of what doctors do. It can also

help me understand what the doctors I shadow at Loyola think of their job and personal life.
 Padgett 4

Works Cited

Chan, Wallace Chi Ho, et al. “Impact of Death Work on Self: Existential and Emotional Challenges and

Coping of Palliative Care Professionals.” Health & Social Work, vol. 41, no. 1, Feb. 2016, pp.

33–41. Ebscohost, doi:10.1093/hsw/hlv077.

Kaliannan, Maniam, et al. “Developing a Work-Life Balance Model towards Improving Job Satisfaction

among Medical Doctors across Different Generations.” The Journal of Developing Areas, vol.

50, no. 5, 2016, pp. 343–351. Ebscohost, doi:10.1353/jda.2016.0035.

Stoilkovska, Biljana Blazevska, et al. “Life Role Salience and Subjective Well-Being among

Macedonian Employees: Does Family-Supportive Organization Perception Moderate This

Relationship.” International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, vol.

31, no. 3, 2018, pp. 281–291. Ebscohost, doi:10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01204.