Doctors are caught between shifting generational values and long-standing expectations. A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted the tension between young doctors prioritizing work-life balance and doctors who believe medicine is a calling requiring personal sacrifice.
The changing face of medicine
Family doctors entering the practice today are pushing back against the grueling hours and relentless demands that defined previous generations, rejecting the notion that burnout is unavoidable, a perspective aligned with a broader cultural shift.
On the other hand, some veteran doctors argue that medicine is a vocation that requires self-sacrifice. While physician dedication has shaped our healthcare system, it has also led to doctor shortages, worsening patient access issues, and high burnout rates. We cannot rely on altruism alone as a sustainable foundation for healthcare delivery.
Primary care in crisis
Healthcare has fundamentally changed in the last decades. Family doctors are overwhelmed with administrative burdens, and many are leaving the profession due to unsustainable workloads. The newer generation’s call for reasonable work hours isn’t about entitlement—it’s about preventing further system collapse. If healthcare continues to rely on outdated expectations of overwork, it will only drive more young doctors away, worsening access to care for patients.
Understanding the shift
We believe younger doctors are willing to work hard—but that the conditions that once made long hours sustainable have dramatically changed. Today’s doctors are navigating a complex healthcare landscape where administrative burdens, increasing patient loads and evolving demographics all play a role in reshaping expectations. On top of that, patients have higher expectations of doctors than ever before.
Previous generations of doctors practiced in an era where administrative tasks were manageable, physician autonomy was stronger and traditional family structures often supported their demanding schedules. Today, with growing administrative overload, changes in gender roles and increased pressures, the reality is markedly different.
BC Family Doctors recognizes these evolving challenges and the need for a system that supports sustainable careers in medicine. That means reducing administrative burdens, improving physician autonomy, and fostering an environment where primary care doctors can focus on patient relationships—the core of what makes this job fulfilling.
A path forward
Rather than viewing this shift as a generational divide, we see it as an opportunity for meaningful reform. If we want to recruit and retain talented family doctors, we need to create a system where they can thrive. That includes better compensation structures, reduced bureaucracy, and a renewed focus on the doctor-patient relationship.
The future of medicine does not rest on working longer hours—it rests on working in a system that values both doctors and patients.