FREIDA CORRECT?? HOURS/Q3/4 etc??

[Marianne11]

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I'm curious when I go to Freida etc. programs state max hours and worst schedule like Q4 Q6 etc. Some say hospital call, others say via pager. How accurate are these numbers? How much call do residents really take considering the 80 hr/week max? Being a single Mom, it is important to my decision on where to apply based on the # of overnight calls per week.

Thanks!

 

[peppy]

The advice I've always heard is not to trust the info on work hours on FREIDA. Your best bet would probably be to use the info on FREIDA to narrow down what programs to look at and then confirm the schedule through the program's webpage, asking people who've rotated there, or see what they tell you at the interview (most programs volunteer the call schedule info during interviews).
Plus once you know what specialty you're going into, you'll have a rough idea of what schedule that will probably mean in residency. The variation between programs within a given specialty usually isn't that wide (in my experience). By decision time you'll have a pretty good idea of what sort of lifestyle you're signing up for by choosing a residency in surgery vs. IM vs. derm vs. PM&R.
Good luck!

 

[Winged Scapula]

Maybe, maybe not.

FREIDA is self-report by programs. Clearly, programs aren't going to report work hours which would violate any ACGME rules. Many are completed by an administrative assistant who has no real idea of what the call schedules are or they aren't updated.

So essentially, no way to know if the data on FREIDA is accurate other than ask those who have some inside knowledge.

In terms of call, if a program is abiding by an 80 hour average, you generally won't be on call more than twice a week without going over hours (or taking a day off) but remember 80 hrs is an average, so some weeks you can go over.

Being a single Mom, you may wish to think about less call intensive specialties or those with more home call and more predictable hours.

 

[lynda19]

Dont forget to check the size of the program. Generally, the greater the # of residents, the less frequent the call. Also, being a single mom, changes to your schedule, family emergencies (hopefully there are none) & the occasional sick child phone call wont be as difficult to cover if you have more residents per year in the program. My program has almost 20 residents & call is relatively infrequent bc of that (~1 per week or even 1 every 2 weeks at times). In smaller programs your fellow residents may not appreciate having to cover for you if need be-unless they are a good batch of people.
Best case scenario is combining a specialty known for decent lifestyle & a large program if you can find it. Good luck & hope all goes well! & Kudos to you! 🙂

 

[dragonfly99]

I agree with the above.
FREIDA is not necessarily that accurate, although for the sheer frequency of overnight call (i.e. Q3 or Q4) it might be more accurate than for other things/data. The work hours quoted on there are notorious for being wrong.

I think the hours and intensity of call is more related to the specialty than the particular program, although I do think there are some specialties (for example family practice and IM) where there is considerable variability from program to program. I agree w/the advice above about perhaps considering a larger program, because it does provide more of a cushion for times when someone is out/off due to personal or family illness. Also, I think just the mindset and attitudes of the program where you match matters a lot, and that's something you can't know until you go visit. You may have better luck @community programs vs. some university programs, especially if you do IM or fp or peds...U. programs tend to have more ICU, etc. and perhaps busier calls, though it depends on the particular program.

I went to a large university IM program and I personally can't ever imaging someone taking a sick day unless they were personally in the hospital...so culture of a program matters...taking/being off just wasn't acceptable in my program. There was a backup call system but in general it wasn't used except for very dire emergencies, because if/when a resident was out, someone got pulled from an outpatient clinic month to take his/her call (and without ever being repaid for it later, or trading, etc.). Needless to say people didn't love getting called in for backup call...though we would come in and not complain about it. We did have someone who was ordered to be on bed rest due to pregnancy complications, and it was dealt with by changing folks' schedules...would have been rough to accommodate @a smaller program. However, she was one of the PD's favorites and it was a documented medical condition, and I imagine a program wouldn't dare come down on someone for a pregnancy-related medical problem due to potential liability.