General surgery residents report working an average of 75 hours a week, the highest total of any specialty tracked in a new American Medical Association report.
The AMA’s 2025 “National Resident Comparison Report” is based on survey responses from more than 3,000 resident and fellow physicians across 20 states and 29 healthcare organizations.
Here are five takeaways from the report:
1. General surgery residents average 75 hours a week, the highest of any specialty, followed by internal medicine at 67.3 hours and family medicine at 64.3 hours.
2. Residents and fellows overall averaged 65.6 hours a week in 2025, including 27.6 hours on direct patient care, 19.6 hours on indirect patient care and 6.5 hours on administrative tasks.
3. Physicians who completed training reported working 58.4 hours a week, well below the hours logged by residents and fellows still in training.
4. Second- and third-year residents logged the longest weeks, at 67.8 and 67.9 hours, while fellows reported the shortest, at 59.9 hours.
5. Female residents and fellows reported working 66.8 hours a week on average, compared with 64.6 hours for male counterparts, along with slightly more time on administrative tasks and patient care.
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