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Table 3 Mean difference tests between Baby Boomers vs. Generation Xers and Gen X women vs. Gen X men

From: The generation and gender shifts in medicine: an exploratory survey of internal medicine physicians

Survey Items

Boomers

(n = 87)

Gen Xers

(n = 65)

Gen X women

(n = 33)

Gen X men

(n = 32)

Work hours (including residents)

    

   Hours per week at office

51.2

60.7*

61.3

60.2

   Hours per week at home

9.9

8.3*

9.0

7.6

   Hours per week total

61.1

69.1*

70.3

67.8

Work hours (excluding residents)a

    

   Hours per week at office

50.9

53.8

51.9

55.3

   Hours per week at home

9.9

7.6

8.3

7.1

   Hours per week total

60.8

61.4

60.2

62.4†

Patient care

    

   I really care what happens to my patients.

88%

94%

94%

94%

   I feel I am positively influencing other people's lives through my work.

91%

92%

91%

94%

Life balance

    

   I feel I have a pretty balanced life.

42%

49%

48%

50%

   The demands of my work interfere with my home and family life.

65%

65%

67%

63%

   My family responsibilities interfere with my work.

29%

12%*

21%

3%†

   I feel I have enough time to do the things I want to.

19%

20%

12%

28%†

  1. * indicates a statistically significant difference at the .10 level between Baby Boomer and Generation X physicians
  2. † indicates a statistically significant difference at the .10 level between Generation X women and Generation X men
  3. a The following are excluded from these results: 3 Boomer residents; 24 Gen X residents; 14 Gen X female residents and 10 Gen X male residents