Although Americans in general are known for not being great at taking vacations, doctors especially can find it hard to take time off. Schedules are busy, and with a finite number of appointment slots available, it’s difficult to unplug and take a well-deserved break.
Are there times, however, when the opportunity cost for doctors to take a vacation is less? And, when should doctors add availability to maximize on booking traffic trends?
To answer this, Zocdoc analyzed our database of millions of medical appointments over a one-year period (January 2023-December 2023).
Averaged across all specialties, we found that January, March and May were the busiest months of the year. Bookings tended to be lower in April, September and February (due in part to the holidays and shortness of month relative to 31-day months), thus being the best months for most doctors to take time off.
Still, certain specialties are busy at varying times in the year. Pediatricians are busiest in August and July (the months before school starts), and are the least busy in February. Not surprisingly, allergists are busiest in the spring, from March through May, and see the fewest patients in December. Continue reading for a breakdown of the insights below.
Allergists are busiest in the spring
During the spring months, allergists see almost 30% of their patients for the whole year.
If you’re an allergist, you may want to take time off around the winter holiday, and add to your appointment availability in the spring.
Optometrists are busiest November through January
If you’re an optometrist, consider taking your vacation during late spring in April or May. Maximize availability from November through January as those 3 months see nearly 30% of appointments.
Pediatricians are busiest in August
Pediatricians hit their peak appointment month in August. This is likely due to parents remembering to take their child to the pediatrician before the school year begins to get a physical or make sure their kids are up to date on vaccinations.
The bottom line
The majority of doctors are the least busy in November and December, which means it might make sense to take time off around the holidays. Conversely, many providers might want to add availability during the January, March and May busy months. However, as noted above, there is some variance according to specialty.
If you’d like to learn more about the busiest times for your speciality and how Zocdoc can grow your business, reach out to our enterprise sales representatives.