Part-time Pediatric Practice: Demographic and Medical Practice Characteristics and Implications for State Medical Boards

Abstract

The increasing number of part-time physicians in pediatrics and other specialties has major implications for state medical boards. This study examines the demographic and practice characteristics of part-time pediatricians compared to full-time pediatricians and the implications of these characteristics on licensure requirements. An electronic survey on workforce topics was developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Pediatric Workforce. The survey responses of part-time pediatricians were compared to the responses of pediatricians working full-time. Approximately 31% of the part-time pediatricians plan to continue to work part-time for > 10 years. A small cohort of part-time pediatricians (4.7%) were working < 11 hours per week. The demographic and practice characteristics of part-time pediatricians differ significantly from full-time pediatricians but there was no difference in reported appointment availability between part-time and full-time pediatricians. These findings have implications for the regulatory community regarding the number of hours a physician must work to provide quality patient care and be considered an active physician in good standing. They also have important implications for projecting the number of pediatricians needed to ensure that all children have access to care in the United States.