Well I'm not here to argue because I definitely agree with your point of view...to answer...
My class does not get the day off but at the same time- during the rotation- we can get 2 days off (i.e.- people go to a wedding) in my case, I would like to grind out straight (heck I'll even work an extra Sunday if I have to) and use it to study for the shelf- I think a valid reason in my opinion and it totally sucks to have to stand in the OR for a day vs. valuable study time. Bottomline, different residents/attendings have different views, some will say no problem and other traditional, conservative nazis will use that negatively.
Big picture wise- I am sure we can all agree that while I am not saying cramming helps- a continuity of a few study days to form patterns/bang out qbank is helpful
I think the issue may be a difference of opinion about the purpose of Clinical Rotations.
From the attending POV, the purpose is to expose you to the field (the good, the bad and the ugly), hone your general clinical skills and to teach you some valuable specialty specific skills and knowledge which you can use in your field of choice (presumed not to be our field).
From the student POV, the purpose (or rather "goal") of rotations is to get the best evaluation and grade, much of which may come from the shelf exam. This is akin to the common student belief that the goal of medical school is to become <insert specialty X> rather than produce a solid foundation of medical knowledge.
Therefore, while I understand the desire to have 2 solid days of clinical duty free study time, its not my goal for your rotation, nor is it my responsibility for you to do well on the shelf exam. As noted in the response above, you are expected to study on "your own time". This was the case when I was a minimum wage earning pre-med researcher and expected to write papers in addition to my work duties unpaid after hours and it was the expectation when I was a medical student and resident. When I need to study for board exams now, I take (unpaid time) off work and study in the evenings and on weekends. So its not being a "Nazi" to expect that; its (frankly) just the way it is. We have different goals and priorities.
Now do I really care if you miss a day of rotation to study? Of course not (presuming you had been a good, hard working student the rest of the month). Would I advise you to ask to have the day off? Nope. The above advise is reasonable: if you just happen to let it drop that your shelf is on X date and today is my last clinical day ("so I want to make sure all our goals for this rotation are met before I leave"), many faculty would pick up on that hint and let you go early if there wasn't much worthwhile going on.
Finally, why not just ask to switch your call night from Monday to Tuesday? That way you'd be off post-call on Wednesday and Thursday before the exam.
