Dr. John Perch, senior market medical director at Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG), recalls a powerful moment at OBHG’s national clinical leadership meeting when a presenter asked attendees their biggest regret in not becoming an OB hospitalist sooner. “I can’t tell you the number of mothers crying and answered they regretted missing so many things with their children. It was overwhelming to me to have that kind of emotion in the room,” he says.
For Dr. Neely Dean, this emotional response is relatable. In residency, she learned to prioritize her work and her patients. It was a message she expected and managed at the time. Her perspective changed, though, as she became a mom and started missing important moments in her daughter’s life. “I knew I needed a change, so I started looking into becoming an OB/GYN hospitalist as a way to have a better balance,” she says.
Today as an OB hospitalist at OBHG, Dr. Dean can be more involved in her daughter’s activities. She even makes time to meet friends for coffee or lunch, which would have been unthinkable before her career as an OB hospitalist. Every time she takes her daughter to school or picks her up, she’s grateful for her work-life balance as an OB/GYN.
Flexible schedule offers work-life balance as an OB/GYN
Most full-time OB/GYN hospitalists at OBHG work around five to seven 24-hour shifts each month. Clinicians can request workdays and schedule shifts well in advance. This makes juggling family responsibilities, vacations and personal time easier.
Balancing family responsibilities as an OB hospitalist
As a solo private practice provider, Dr. Teresa Marlino only occasionally took a weekend or half day off. “I used to do 72-hour shifts when people were in labor back-to-back,” she says. She wouldn’t see her family for days and recalls her son saying he never wanted to work that hard.
Today, as an OB hospitalist and a market medical director for OBHG, Dr. Marlino schedules her shifts around her lifestyle, which allows her to have more time for family and herself. She sees her colleagues benefit in the same way. One colleague was able to be her elderly mother’s primary caregiver and still works full-time as an OB hospitalist. She planned her seven monthly shifts when other family members and visiting nurses could assist.
Another physician on Dr. Marlino’s team has three small children, including two she had while working for OBHG. Her husband is an internal medicine hospitalist, and they work around one another’s shifts. “When I became an OB hospitalist full-time, I felt like somebody took an 18-wheeler off my back. We have so many more opportunities to spend time with our families, which is a fantastic lifestyle change,” she says.
A better focus on priorities offers more work-life balance as an OB hospitalist
Juggling a demanding, unpredictable job with personal and family responsibilities leaves some OB/GYNs feeling like they never leave work and fully pay attention to other areas of life.
Before becoming a hospitalist at OBHG, Dr. Joanne Williamson never felt fully present. “I wasn’t great at home because I wasn’t there very much, and I wasn’t as good as I could be at work because there was always a focus on how to get all the work done to get home to see my family. I was always in one place but wanted to be in another,” she says.
Instead of being on call while at home as she did for years in private practice, Dr. Marlino today says, “When I’m on, I’m on and when I’m off, I can just turn off the phone if I want to. That’s my time,” she says.
The sense of balance and time for rest that comes with being an OB/GYN hospitalist has made Dr. Williamson more enthusiastic about her work. “If you only focus on your work, you’re more likely to resent what you do. When I go to work, I want to be excited about making a difference and performing at my best,” she says.
Working at OBHG has allowed Dr. Williamson to thrive in both her personal and professional lives. “Now, when I go to work, I work as hard as possible and am completely focused. I feel like I can be focused in both places.”
Is an OB hospitalist career right for you?
Work-life balance is essential for long-term career satisfaction and personal well-being. For OB/GYNs who struggle to find this balance, the hospitalist model offers a viable solution.
If you’re an OB/GYN searching for a way to regain control over your schedule, reduce stress and find more time for yourself and your family, becoming an OB hospitalist might be the right move. The flexible scheduling with reduced on-call duties and focused patient care model supports a healthier work-life balance while still allowing you to practice the work you love.
Choosing to become an OB hospitalist means stepping into a role that respects your time, well-being and your life outside of medicine. It’s a path that allows you to continue making a meaningful impact on your patients while also prioritizing your health and happiness.
OBHG offers exciting career opportunities across the nation. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a recent graduate, there’s a place for you in our dedicated team. Read what our doctors say and check out our most common FAQs.
Click here to listen to a webinar on what it’s like to work as an OB hospitalist.
Contact our recruiting department for more information on current openings and how to join us in making a difference in women’s healthcare.