This thread's title is the title of the article linked below, which is a survey from the AMA on physicians' hobbies, the things they mostly like to do when off-duty from their medical practices.
We all have hobbies, of course, physicians being no exception, but it is curious to see just what are the kinds of things that they especially choose as ways to engage themselves when not on the job of medicine.
For example, there has for years been the ongoing joke that physicians love to play golf in their spare time, out on the links when not in the OR.
Well guess what? According to the article below there may be some truth in that, with a great many of them out wielding a 9-iron when not using a scalpel!
Some highlights from the AMA survey below:
"A recent survey captures how most physicians spend their free time."
"about one-half of physicians under age 40 indicate they run or jog, the most-enjoyed activity for that age group."
"Physicians aged 40 to 59 report enjoying running or jogging (36 percent), bicycling (35 percent) and camping or hiking (24 percent) most."
"For physicians older than 60, about 50 percent said they walk to stay healthy."Other top interests among physicians include golf, aerobics and cardio, skiing, tennis and fishing.
As for other hobbies, a large percentage of physicians describe themselves as avid book readers:
Other top hobbies reported include gardening, “DIY” home improvement and decorating, and playing musical instruments. Nearly 50 percent of physicians across all ages are interested in gourmet cooking.
More than one-quarter of physicians are interested in new technology, and a similar percentage own a Kindle e-book reader. Physicians younger than 40 are the most likely to use iTunes, but one-quarter of physicians over 60 use the application to download digital audio and video files as well.
But a physician's free-time interests can include anything. Here in Gainesville, my own uro's hobby-passion is NASCAR racing, and he has even admitted to me during exam room small talk that he owns and plays car racing video games in his home rec room.
Maybe imagining himself crossing the checkered flag at the Daytona 500!
And while not being a NASCAR fan myself, I have gone to the trouble to learn a few basics about
it to move that exam room small talk along during appointments with him. That seems to be okay with him.
It has been said that the harder one works, the harder one must play to relax, and to accomplish that the door must be wide
open for whatever gets that done for any particular individual, physician or otherwise.
Even for physicians going 150 MPH on a video game screen!
And a final thought, maybe worth half-serious consideration.
When first visiting a new physician's office, and sitting there in the waiting room and filling out all those first-visit information sheets (medical history, contact information, etc.) maybe there should be a section on one of the sheets labeled "Hobbies," to inform the new doctor of topics he can bring up during exams with this new patient during upcoming appointments, to "break the ice," or move things along with him!
https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/physician-health/how-physicians-spend-their-time-outside-exam-room#:~:text=among%20physicians%20aged%2040%20to%2059,%2058%20percent