Hours for residents and call

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Redwhiteblue

New Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I was wondering what kind of hours your first or second years are pulling these days.

I am talking about your psych inpatient or psych months in general as I am sure hours vary in medicine etc.

Also was wondering how many calls you guys were doing-just trying to get a feel for other programs out there.

For me

hours-8-5 m-f no weekends other than coming in to change an order or check an order etc.

Call- 3 or 4 per month-no Q system-it varies.

We do psych call and never take medicine call etc. We have one ER month and one Psych ER month where we do no call. So 10 months of 3-4 per month.

Grand total with average of 1 call per 7 days is about 60.

I am definetly happy with this as an intern-are you guys pretty much on the same page-I am guessing psych is obviously more this kind of hours than med or surgery-Gotta love psych!
 
My own program UMDNJ: Camden & ARMC-call varies depending on what branch you're in.

Average day 8-3:30pm, though when you start out as a 1st year the day for the 1st month will be 8-6 because it takes some time to get used to working on the inpatient unit.

1st year: Both have 4 weekday calls, 2 weekend day calls per month. Averages about Q5.
2nd year: 4 weekday calls, 1 weekend day call per month. (you can opt to do it in a shorter period of time--e.g. 2 weekend day calls, get it over in 6 months).
3rd year-2 weekday calls/month.

However the Camden location-on site call-you sleep @ the hospital, get to go home early the next day.
ARMC-off site call-you get to go home at 11pm, must report to work at 9am the next day. They can still beep you at night for admissions & orders.

Camden-no medicine calls, only psyche calls even during medicine, residents doing medicine do lighter work vs IM residents.
ARMC-when you do medicine-you do medicine. You are expected to do just as much work as an IM resident.

Both programs-work 5 days a week.
 
I'll be finished my 6 months of PGY-1 psych at the end of the month. We were q5 call for 5 of the months, working 8AM-4:15PM M-F in general. This sixth month I'm in the Psych ED, which has no call but M-F 8am-8pm shiftwork, PLUS I have to work the 8p-8a shift the last 4 calendar days of the year, which includes a Saturday & Sunday. Total suckblow.
 
We rotate at multiple sites, and it varies by site. (this is UTSW)

Parkland (county) inpatient psych:
2 residents split the call, which is home call. Usually you are on a week at a time and alternate weekends. Call is not bad, because there is a dedicated psych ER to do the admissions. The attendings round early, hours are 6:30 - noonish. We also do consults, 8-4, pager call.

UTSW (private) inpatient psych:
Again, two residents split call, alternating weeks and weekends, pretty light. Days are longer than at other sites, because of the high volume of ECT patients every MWF. On ECT days, hours are 6:30 to 3-5 depending.

VA inpatient psych:
The hardest in terms of hours. Call is approximately q4, split between 4 residents. Call is technically home call, but the VA mandates that psych stay in-house until 11, so some people elect to stay rather than drive home so late. On Fri-Sun there is a resident moonlighter in the ER, so you can leave at 5 if you're on call those days and take floor calls from home. Non-call days is typical VA hours 8-4:30.

Presbyterian (private)
We do the eating disorders day hospital and inpatient consults, 8-5 work. No call on ED, pager call for consults. The residents take admissions for the general inpatient unit on the weekends, and usually alternate weekends.

Psych ER:
2 months in the first year, one month in the second year. Five 12 hour shifts per week.

For the non-psych stuff, you are treated like a resident in medicine, peds, neuro, etc. for those months. 3rd and 4th years is all outpatient with no call, although he third years are on backup call for the ER in case it gets busy, but they try to call a moonlighter resident before the backup call resident.
 
We rotate at multiple sites, and it varies by site. (this is UTSW)

Parkland (county) inpatient psych:
2 residents split the call, which is home call. Usually you are on a week at a time and alternate weekends. Call is not bad, because there is a dedicated psych ER to do the admissions. The attendings round early, hours are 6:30 - noonish. We also do consults, 8-4, pager call.

UTSW (private) inpatient psych:
Again, two residents split call, alternating weeks and weekends, pretty light. Days are longer than at other sites, because of the high volume of ECT patients every MWF. On ECT days, hours are 6:30 to 3-5 depending.

VA inpatient psych:
The hardest in terms of hours. Call is approximately q4, split between 4 residents. Call is technically home call, but the VA mandates that psych stay in-house until 11, so some people elect to stay rather than drive home so late. On Fri-Sun there is a resident moonlighter in the ER, so you can leave at 5 if you're on call those days and take floor calls from home. Non-call days is typical VA hours 8-4:30.

Presbyterian (private)
We do the eating disorders day hospital and inpatient consults, 8-5 work. No call on ED, pager call for consults. The residents take admissions for the general inpatient unit on the weekends, and usually alternate weekends.

Psych ER:
2 months in the first year, one month in the second year. Five 12 hour shifts per week.

For the non-psych stuff, you are treated like a resident in medicine, peds, neuro, etc. for those months. 3rd and 4th years is all outpatient with no call, although he third years are on backup call for the ER in case it gets busy, but they try to call a moonlighter resident before the backup call resident.



um, ouch much?
 
Top