41% of Seoul National University Medical School Professors Suffer from Heavy Workload Due to Medical Staff Shortages

Seoul National University Medical School Emergency Committee Survey Results
52% of Professors Report 'High Stress'
Ulsan Medical School Emergency Committee Demands Cancellation

About 41% of professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine are working more than 80 hours a week, struggling with heavy workloads to fill the gap left by residents who have been absent from the hospital for two months.

The Emergency Countermeasures Committee (ECC) of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital held its 4th emergency general meeting on the 16th and announced the results of a "Working Hours and Fatigue Survey" conducted on 522 professors from Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital.

According to the survey results, 40.6% of professors reported working more than 80 hours per week. The proportion working over 100 hours per week was as high as 16.0%. Only 8.3% of professors worked 52 hours or less per week.

Seventy-five respondents answered that "after a 24-hour shift, the following day's daytime rest time is guaranteed." Meanwhile, 364 professors answered that it was "not guaranteed," indicating that a significant number of clinical professors worked daytime shifts even after on-call duty.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When measuring perceived stress levels, 52.3% of professors reported experiencing "high stress." Among them, 89.2% were suspected of depression, according to the ECC.

The ECC stated, "At today's general meeting, we reported on the activities of the Seoul National University College of Medicine ECC and shared the current situation. After discussing future directions, we will collect opinions from all professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital."

The Emergency Countermeasures Committee of Ulsan College of Medicine also held a general meeting on the same day. The Ulsan College of Medicine ECC said, "Residents from Asan Medical Center also participated in today's meeting, and after discussions, it was decided to maintain the current situation without changing the stance, as the President's remarks at the Cabinet meeting today showed no significant difference from before the general election."

Earlier, the Ulsan College of Medicine ECC had requested the government to cancel the plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 students and to create a sincere dialogue platform.