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Chapter 4: Job satisfaction and work–life balance

4.3 Hours of work and work–life balance

GPs reported they see an average of 97 patients per week. This varies according to gender, with male GPs seeing significantly more patients per week (124) than female GPs (84).3

Female GPs are more likely to work part time than their male colleagues (Figure 39).

Figure 39. Female GPs are more likely to work part time

Female GPs are more likely to work part time

Measure: RACGP member response to the question, ‘How many hours a week do you work on average?’ by gender.
Base: n = 2504.
Source: RACGP. Member census. February 2021.

The average consultation lasts 18.4 minutes. This again varies according to gender, as male GPs reported shorter average consultations (16.8 minutes) than female GPs (19.6 minutes).3

The majority (68%) of GPs and GPs in training reported they work an average of fewer than 40 hours per week. The median response is 35 hours per week.41.

Work hours are decreasing for male and female GPs, with the weekly average falling from 42.4 to 41.8 between 2015 and 2019.42 More than half (54%) of AGPT Program participants surveyed reported that they intend to work part-time after achieving Fellowship. This has increased from 48% in 2018.26

More than half (54%) of GPs reported that they can maintain a good work–life balance (Figure 40), although this figure has decreased by 5% from 2020.

GPs who are practice owners are less likely to report they can maintain a good work–life balance (43%) than GPs who do not own a practice (57%). The proportion of GPs who are practice owners reporting they can maintain a good work–life balance has declined from 51% in 2019.

There is no significant difference between practice owners and non-practice owners in responses to the question about work–life balance improving in the coming 12 months.3 There have been no significant changes or trends in responses to these questions over the five years of the survey.

Figure 40. The majority of GPs can maintain a good work–life balance

The majority of GPs can maintain a good work–life balance

Measure: GP responses to the question, ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?’
Base: Responses to survey question, n = 1386.
Source: EY Sweeney, RACGP GP Fellow Survey, May 2021.

  • 3. EY Sweeney. RACGP GP Fellow Survey. Melbourne: EY Sweeney, 2021.
  • 5. Black Dog Institute. Mental health ramifications of COVID-19: The Australian context. Sydney: Black Dog Institute, 2020.
  • 6. RACGP. General Practice: Health of the Nation 2020. East Melbourne: RACGP, 2020.
  • 26. Taylor R, Clarke L, Radloff A. Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report on the 2020 National Registrar Survey. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, 2021.
  • 41. RACGP. RACGP member census. Melbourne: RACGP, 2021.
  • 42. Department of Health. National health workforce dataset. Canberra: DoH, 2021.
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