The Dose Makes the Poison

Work, alcohol, and digital exposure all can be enjoyable, but they can also be detrimental when consumed in XS dose. Renaissance German scientist Paracelsus wrote: “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.”

USA work hours vs. the world

According to OECD stats, U.S. workers work an average of 1,767 hours per year versus an OECD country average of 1,687. This is 435 more hours per year than German workers, 400 more hours per year than workers in the United Kingdom, 365 more hours per year than French workers, and 169 more hours per year than Japanese workers.

Orthopedic academic surgeons

A survey focusing on "highly successful orthopedic surgeons" reported that the average work week was 70.3 (range 50–110) hours per week, with an average of 40.9 hours dedicated to clinical duties, 12.6 hours to administrative duties, 10.5 hours to education and 8.3 hours to research. No surgeon wished they worked more hours in the week. Three of every four (75%) surgeons reported that they did not have as much time for their personal lives as they should have.

The poison

A systematic review looking at surgical specialties concluded that hours worked per week to be a statistically significant predictor of burnout, decreased career satisfaction, and poorer QOL. Foot and ankle biased towards outpatient elective care may contain part of the answer to the dose challenge.