Hey, I know this probably has been discussed a lot but anyways… I wanna be a doctor, more specifically a general surgeon, ever since I was 5 years old. Why? Because I’ve been taught that the most important thing you can do is help another human being, I understand there are many ways of doing this but this is how I wanna help people and make a difference in the world, I’m not here to discuss if if my interests are gonna change or not. I’m here to ask about the hours, because although I wanna be a general surgeon, I wanna also have a wife and 1 or 2 kids… Somedays I won’t be home because I’ll be on call but I wanna be able to spend a few amount of hours with them such as 2-4 hours, and although I’ve researched online the average amount of hours a general surgeon works, I can’t seem to find some actual fact from statistics and such, is it possible to have a healthy family life while also making a difference in the world by working in such a prestigious profession? I just wanted to know your opinion on this matter, anyways thanks and keep studying 
[Annual Work Hours across Physician Specialties](http://archotol.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1105820)
Also keep in mind that official work hours may not include time spent charting and writing/dictating patient notes. Work hours definitely don’t include study time and the professional reading you’ll need to do to keep current in your field.
As resident your work hours will significantly longer with more frequent overnight call than those of an attending. (IOW for your first 5 years out of med school, plus an additional 1-2 years if you decide to do a fellowship.)
Medical residents work an average of 80 hours/week. (That’s averaged over 4 weeks so you may have one or more weeks that are longer than 80 hours each month.) You will also be routinely working 30 hour in-hospital call shifts every 3rd day for months at a time as a surgical resident.
Can you have a healthy family life as surgeon? It’s possible, but often difficult and will depend upon your exact employment situation as an attending. (Academic hospital? Community hospital? Large group practice? Small group practice? Contract employee? Self-employed practice owner?)
As a surgeon (or a physician of any type), you and your family need to accept there will always be times where you just won’t be able to be there.
BTW, I snickered a bit at the 2-4 hours you want to spend with your family…is that 2-4 hours a day? A week? A year?
Does time when everyone is asleep count?
You may get a lot of different answers here, but separate from the job needs, if a person includes family in their priorities, they can make the most of their relationships. I know many happy doctors, some dealing with the most difficult specialties (emotionally and in terms of hours.) They have balance in their lives, intentionally. Not every day, not every night, but they get there. They may miss a kid’s game or some event when busy, but make sure to be there when they can.
But I do caution against marrying too soon. As WOWM notes, the first years are challenging enough and you’re still growing as both an individual and a young med professional.
Thanks this really helped! And yeah haha I meant like 2-4 hours awake daily or like 4 hours every 2 days… Thanks again.
I will also note that there are many professions that require working long hours–not just medicine. My older daughter (second year resident) is marrying an academic research scientist. She said she’s glad to be marrying someone who routinely works longer hours than she does.
I would say the most important factor in having a healthy family life as physician is finding the right life partner–one who is supportive of your career and who is willing & able to be the “rock” of the family when you can’t be there.
DH was an academic researcher and prof- lots of hours, his choice. D1’s bf works odd hours and is into acting, which means they have to make quality time, when they can. They do. Accountants/CPAs can have miserable work schedules, various times of years.
Good you’re thinking about this. Right partner and right openness and willingness to work together to get to their goals.