12 hr shifts?

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overnight

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Are 12 hr shifts, as I seem to be finding, the "industry" standard when it comes to residency programs? Or do I happen to be interviewing at all the 12 hr programs?

I guess my point is that I can't imagine being able to do anything worthwhile after 12 hrs in the ED.

And it's not the 12 hrs in the ED that scares me, cause the ED is pretty darn neat, and I can work hard for 12 hrs...it's just the fact that I'll be useless afterwards.
No gym, no shopping for and cooking a nice meal, etc.
I'm in good shape now, and I'm trying to figure out how I'll stay in shape during residency if I'm working 12 hr shifts (which are typically closer to 13)...

Is it just me, or are 12 hr shifts a malignant aspect of EM training that doesn't get much press.

And while we theoretically get a bunch of days off, most programs seem to take 4 of your days off a month for conferences.
Other days off are fried by working overnights.

Is EM residency less friendly than we like to think it is?

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No, not all programs are 12 hour shifts. Where I am, we are scheduled for 9 or 10 hour shifts. Yes, there are times that you need to stay over; however, they are really trying to minimize them. I just looked back over two of my months, and one month I averaged about 10.5 hours a shift and the other one I averaged about 10 hours a shift. So, the overtime is not that bad.

Trust me, you will have plenty of time to do other things. Yes, some of your days off may be on conferences, or your day off may work out that you are working graveyard on Friday night, are not "on the schedule" on Saturday (despite the fact that you work until the am on Saturday) and then come back for the Monday morning shift. However, this is just a fact of life.

I will tell you that I would much rather do emergency medicine where I am there for an average of 10 hours a shift vs. any floor month where you are lucky when you get your four days off a month, and are on call q4.
 
any places that have like 4 hour shifts?
 
Yes, this is a malignant aspect of EM that doesn't get noticed. It is particularly over looked by residents on other services who think we have it so easy. 12s are a pain, they often stretch out to 14s. Practically all of my days off fall on conference days. You get a lot of "fake days off" where you work the night before and the following day. That's not really a day off but it looks like one on the schedule. It's still better that other specialties but lots of people are surprised how much they really end up working.
docB
 
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