Deciphering FREIDA and Other Sites: Please Help

[raspberry swirl]

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hi, im a current 3rd year, and im just starting to look around on different sites for information about different programs, and im coming up with some questions. if anyone can answer any of these, it would be a big help. thanks 😳

1. on freida, one of the categories it uses to compare programs is the presence of a night float system. what exactly is a night float system, and is it something desireable or undesireable in a program, especially for a first year resident.

2. another category is 'moonlighting allowed within institution'. im assuming most residents would at least like the opportunity to moonlight. if moonlighting is allowed at that particular institution, is it likely they allow their residents to moonlight at other institutions? if it's not allowed at your institution, does that also imply that its not allowed for those residents to moonlight anywhere?

3. call schedules abbreviations. for example- q4d-40wks. i know that q4d is every 4th day, obviously. im assuming the rest of it implies that you're on call every 4th day for 40 wks, and then you have 40 wks with no call, and then another 40 wks with call? or is it just q4d for 4o wks, and then thats it, you're done for the year. just want to clarify. because there seems to be a big difference. some are q4d-32 wks, and others are q4d-9 mo.

i was considering starting another thread for this next questions, but i'll just tack it on here anyway ... i tried to search for it, but it was hard to find a balance between search terms that were too general vs too specific, that would give me the info i was looking for ...

Internship- could someone please break it down for me a little bit, and in the long run, what they all mean. i understand traditional rotating internships. and correct me if im wrong, you apply for both the traditional rotating and your residency spot for the following year, whether they be at the same institution or not, at the same time. does categorical and specialty track/emphisis mean the same thing? if you apply for one of these, you just apply for the whole thing as a package, correct? does it actually shorten the length of your total commitment, or is it just for the convenience? any insight to the differences and benefits of both would be appreciated, or links to threads that discuss it. thanks a lot, and sorry for the long goofy post ...

 

[Cricket]

A night float system is somewhat new that more and more programs are implementing for residents AFTER the intern year, and it's a good thing. Basically, residents take turns working nights only rather than your traditional call schedule, so you don't have to endure the 30 hour shift as often as you did as an intern. For example, say there are 4 residents on a rotation (not including interns), then they'll each work one week of nights during that month, with the other 3 working days only, so that no one is staying overnight after working all day. Different programs have different methods of doing this, and a resident may work 2 weeks or a whole month of nights once or twice per year. Now you'll likely still have at least a few months of your typical q4 call as a resident (usually in ICU rotations), but it all depends on the program. It really makes residency much more bearable!

I don't know much about moonlighting, but I'm pretty sure if a program doesn't allow it within their institution, they won't allow it at other places either. But from what other residents have told me, even if they were allowed to moonlight, chances are, they wouldn't, simply because there's just no time. But you can make good money doing it if you're able.

The "40 wks" or whatever number of weeks/months that appear after q4 is the TOTAL number weeks/month throughout that year that you'll be q4. So if it says q4d-9mo, then for 9 out of the 12 months of that particular year, you'll be q4. It has nothing to do with the number of weeks straight that you're on call...that will depend on your individual schedule and you won't know that until you start residency. And q4 call doesn't always mean you do a 30 hour shift every time...it could mean you're have to take home pager call, or cross-cover shifts in the ER or wards for the evening. You'll notice that the duration of q4 call will decrease every year of your residency, particularly if they have a night float system.