As many of you know alongside my week job in hospital, I work Saturdays. Why would I inflict this on myself instead of having a lie after a late night...?

Maybe this is particularly noticeable for people who work in and around London, but commuting on a Saturday is unusually pleasant. The commute to the job I work on a Saturday takes around an hour, but if this were during the week, an extra 20-30 minutes would have to be added to this. I also always get a seat on the tube and there's nothing like the mad sardine crush there is during the week!

Spend your Saturdays lying in bed watching Netflix or napping until Midday? Forcing myself to get up for work lets me get the most out of the day - especially since I finish around 2pm. I always plan to do some immediately after work, often around the area where work is, so my weekend feels much more productive. 

This is particularly pertinent for those who are doing training posts or other training which involves a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday commitment. Working at the weekend frees you up to try something else, whether that be in practice to keep up your skills whilst in hospital, running educational courses or travelling to salons to provide Botox! 

This sounds cliche but there's a real opportunity to help others at a time where it's difficult to access care. The majority of health care is accessed during the week, but emergencies arise 24/7 all days of the week. Getting someone out of pain at the weekend is very rewarding as a lot of these patients have been calling around to try to see someone before seeing you and are very grateful for your help. Whether this emergency service is in a local practice or an out of hours on call for the area, you are providing a vital service to the community!

I put this last as this is not the primary reason why I work weekends but I know there are many practitioners that do it for this reason. Working an extra day a week does supplement your income; moreover you may earn more on a Saturday than a regular weekday, for example if you only provide private treatments. 

Of course there are some drawbacks to working at the weekend and it's still very important to make sure you take a breather every now and again as you don't want to burn out! And remember that if you work a Saturday it's not just the Saturday you commit to, but also to be sensible on the Friday night (i.e. no late night clubbing at Fabric!). Certainly at the early stages of your career where you have the energy and the enthusiasm, working a Saturday is not a terrible thing as it increases your clinical and professional experience and I think it's becoming more the norm that young professionals to do. 

Do you work at the weekend? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!