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Session:: ePosters-Mon330-M5: Education and Training

EP1037 - When Less is More: Attitudes about Less than Full-Time Work in Colorectal Surgeons

Monday, May 11, 2026
4:13 PM - 4:18 PM ET

    ePoster Presenter(s)

  • Racquel S. Gaetani, MD (she/her/hers)

    General Surgery Resident/Colorectal Research Fellow
    LAHEY HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CENTER
    Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
    Burlington, MA, United States

    All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

    View ePoster

    • Author(s)

  • DH

    Diana Hockett, MD

    General Surgery Resident
    Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
    Medford, Massachusetts, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • Author(s)

  • EB

    Elizabeth Breen, MD

    Retired surgeon. Clinical resesrcher
    Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
    Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • Jonathan S. Abelson, MD MS (he/him/his)

    Staff Surgeon
    Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
    Tufts Medical Center
    Arlington, MA, United States

    All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Julia Saraidaridis, MD, MMSc

    Staff Surgeon
    Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
    Tufts University School of Medicine
    Burlington, MA, United States

    All disclosed relationships have been reviewed and managed prior to the start of this activity. Any relevant relationships will be listed below. This individual has no financial relationships to disclose

Purpose/Background: The surgical profession has been characterized by demanding work schedules and an expectation of near-constant availability. However, recent years have seen an increasing awareness of surgeon burnout and attrition. In this context, some surgeons have pursued less than full-time (LTFT) work. This study aims to understand colorectal surgeon attitudes regarding LTFT work.

Methods/Interventions: This was a qualitative study performed via semi-structured interviews with colorectal surgeons. Participants were recruited through a combination of purposeful and snowball sampling including both LTFT and full-time (FT) surgeons. LTFT was defined as working less than 1.0 full time equivalent. Interviews were transcribed and coded through thematic analysis.

Results/Outcomes: 30 colorectal surgeons were interviewed. 5 LTFT, 1 previous LTFT, 10 FT with a partner who had worked LTFT, and 17 with no exposure to LTFT work. LTFT workers were more commonly female (100% vs. 50%;p=0.03), worked fewer hours a week (44.6 vs. 58.4;p < 0.01) and were more years in practice (20.2 vs. 8.8;p < 0.01).

Surgeons identified facilitators of LTFT work along two themes: clarity of expectations and good group communication. Barriers to LTFT work included lack of clarity of expectations, poor interpersonal communication, and decreased compensation.

When queried about the tradeoffs of LTFT work, surgeons more commonly identified costs (67%) rather than benefits. Professional costs included decreased compensation (n=14), disruption of group dynamics (n=9), challenges to surgeon identity (n=9), perceived decrease in patient care (n=7), and perceived decrease in surgical skill (n=6). The most frequently cited personal benefits to LTFT work were an improved ability to parent (n=11) and better work life balance (n=10). Professional benefits included decreased burnout (n=4) and improved efficiency (n=4).

Surgeons described a number of strategies to build flexibility in all careers (LTFT and FT) including incorporating non-clinical/administrative roles (n=14), the creation of boundaries (n=11), limiting scope of practice to anorectal/endoscopy (n=10), scheduling time for personal interests (n=3), and the development of a consistent work schedule (n=2). When probed about the future of surgeon work schedules, the majority (n=26) of surgeons predicted an increasing desire for work life balance.

Conclusion/Discussion: Strategies to facilitate LTFT work focused on two themes: clarity of expectations and good group communication. While most surgeons viewed LTFT work as an opportunity to regain time for personal use, they also worried that significant professional costs could be associated with that choice. Interestingly, the strategies described for developing flexibility in all workers mirrored the facilitators to LTFT work. Looking forward, nearly all participants forecasted an increased desire for work-life balance in the colorectal surgical community; LTFT work and flexible work schedules may be an answer to this demand.

Table 1 - Participant Demographics