Internship call schedule. Range?

[cleareyedguy]

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What is the range of call that internships require? Another thread was debating q4 or q7 at-home call, which seems awfully light. How are psych residents treated when they do medicine/neuro? Are they generally treated the same or do they get internship lite?

 

[Chimed]

My program is front loaded. On the psych months, we average anywhere from q4 to q6, depending on vacation schedules. Call is overnight and the work load is highly variable. I was on-call yesterday (Sunday) and worked my rear off from 8AM until 11:30PM, then had no calls all night 👍! Other times, I can be up all night covering the floor, consults, and the ED at the VA. After intern year, our call drops to ~7 weekend calls all year.

On medicine/neuro, we take q4 call unless we are on our ED/Urgent Care month (which is no call 👍). My experience is that I've had the exact same work-load as interns from other services. However, I've been told by fellow psych interns that they did not take cross cover call for the ICU.

 

[Nika]

What does it mean 1/wk-2mo or OTH-3mo or q4d-8mo?

 

[josehernandez94]

What does it mean 1/wk-2mo or OTH-3mo or q4d-8mo?

that's a good question. my interpretation is that that represents the most grueling call schedule during intern year. so, for example, for 2 months you'll be on call q week, the other 10 months of the year the call is not as frequent. for the q4d 8 mo, it's q 4 call for those 8 months and the other 4 months aren't as frequent... at least that's how i've always interpreted it.

 

[Anasazi23]

It's program dependent. It seems that in most programs, the intern, while in psychiatry, is on call at least q-week. While in medicine, most programs seem to have them "belong" to medicine. "Lite" internships, caseloads, and call schedules are not only insulting to psychiatry residents, but does them a disservice to their training.

In that sense, I believe that most programs have the psych intern doing medicine call while on medicine. This is commonly q4, often having to work every saturday morning as well, for example. Worse if you're in the ICU or CCU or tele.

There's no way you're taking medicine call from home unless you're in the twilight zone somewhere...

 

[futuredo32]

I remember reading this thread last year and it sounds like call is lighter at USC than at some hospitals.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=4254830

USC (Sourh Caroina)

No call except for on inpatient medicine at the VA. q 4 til 9:30 then overnight on weekends - 2 months of this, otherwise homecall if any call at all.

No call second year except if you want to moonlight. 500/day (take home) per day

hot potato call (beerer call from home) 3rd year psych

4th year _ I don't know, I assume none unless you'reon forensics.

 

[MDhasbeen]

definitely a huge amount of variation not only amongst programs but amongst rotations at any given program.

at my med school, the psych interns were essentially treated as med students while on medicine and on top of that had to take psych calls while on medicine. it wasn't exactly my idea of solid medicine training.

at my res program things are front-loaded. on medicine there is a wonderful night float system so you take short calls q4 up until 9 pm-ish during the workweek then days saturday/sunday and overnights friday/saturday. on neuro and neuro consults no overnight call at all (which is a very good thing given how the neuro residents work their tails off!). on psych it's a solid q5 during internship, then anywhere between q2 to q8+ depending on how things work out amongst our peers with vacation switches and whatnot during pgy-2. after pgy-2 it's strictly home call unless you get called in if two pgy-2s get sick... 4 more months! 🙂