Mandatory confrence attendance?????!!???

[roja]

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So, we had confrence today in central park. Now most of the morning was sat soaking up sun, playing frisbee and other mind gelling things.


However, we then had to find an excuse for being out there during our confrence. The administration decided to talk about the brand new confrence attendance policy.

100% or make up a shift for each day missed or late. 3 strikes and bam. (still are excused on unit months, off services and if on overnights and vacation)

They justified it by saying that everywhere else across the country has mandatory confrence. So here is my poll.

And don't hate me because we got to have confrence out int he sun. 😀

 

[Apollyon]

Our PD is crazy about us being at conference - even if you're post, you have to go, and sign in, and sit there (for a little while). Individually, there were exceptions, but no blanket policy - Wednesday, you're there, or you're paged as to when you'll be there.

And conference is by the ACGME/RRC - it's either 70% or 80% required. It's why you don't have to do CME as a resident.

 

[roja]

Our PD is crazy about us being at conference - even if you're post, you have to go, and sign in, and sit there (for a little while). Individually, there were exceptions, but no blanket policy - Wednesday, you're there, or you're paged as to when you'll be there.

This is cruel and unusual punishment. Have you called your union rep?

 

[flighterdoc]

Our PD is crazy about us being at conference - even if you're post, you have to go, and sign in, and sit there (for a little while). Individually, there were exceptions, but no blanket policy - Wednesday, you're there, or you're paged as to when you'll be there.

And conference is by the ACGME/RRC - it's either 70% or 80% required. It's why you don't have to do CME as a resident.

How does that work with the 80-hour rules?

 

[docB]

At UCD we had to make 70 or 80% (whatever the ACGME says) and you couldn't just sign in. The chief would take attendence at each hour so if you only made one hour that's all you got credit for. 0 forgiveness for call, vacation, away rotations, etc.

 

[DrQuinn]

USF our attendance is mandatory. RRC says you have to be there for 70%. You are excused for unit months. There will always be individual exceptions, like I had to take step 3 a few weeks ago so I got excused that day, but boy I got asked about it several times.

Q, DO

 

[Apollyon]

How does that work with the 80-hour rules?

Well, it's averaged over 4 weeks, which is used liberally here. However, on the EM months, we work 60 hrs/week MAX (and usually less), so it's not an issue. Even with q3 call, averaged over 4 weeks, it works out.

 

[flighterdoc]

Well, it's averaged over 4 weeks, which is used liberally here. However, on the EM months, we work 60 hrs/week MAX (and usually less), so it's not an issue. Even with q3 call, averaged over 4 weeks, it works out.

I was thinking more of the minimum hours-off provisions, coming back post-call.

 

[Apollyon]

I was thinking more of the minimum hours-off provisions, coming back post-call.

That was a point that bit the PD, about having the same amount of time off as on - in the ED, we went to 9 hour shifts, but I don't know what the deal will be for off service/unit months - but it will comply, somehow. Guaranteed (if you knew our PD).

 

[Annette]

Was supposed to go to the confrences for ED on that rotation- 8:30-11:30 Tues and Thurs. Didn't matter if you worked nights the night before and were on again that night. And in the true screw the rotator fashion, often was supposed to start at 3 pm after a night shift. That and surgery was why I turned down the offer . . .

 

[Pelivar]

That's weird Roja because today at our wed conference they unveiled the new policy that if you miss 3 conference days or journal clubs then you have to do a punishment shift (6p-3a weekends). They said that all the programs were doing it. Fortunetly you only have to sign in once for the whole day. We have 9 hours off between shifts and conference so if you shift ends at 1am then you have to come to conference at 9am. Post-call we are supposed to come but we can leave early if we are falling asleep (and when wouldn't you be tired post call?). The only time we are excused is during our MICU rotation and they still want us down to conference after rounds.

It sounds like a big conspiracy to me...

 

[Apollyon]

Was supposed to go to the confrences for ED on that rotation- 8:30-11:30 Tues and Thurs. Didn't matter if you worked nights the night before and were on again that night. And in the true screw the rotator fashion, often was supposed to start at 3 pm after a night shift. That and surgery was why I turned down the offer . . .

Turned down what offer? I thought it was a required rotation.

 

[Chris_Topher]

We have something like an hour-for-hour conference missed to shift hours addition; when you reach 9 hours of conference missed you get a shift.

 

[Scrubbs]

Our's just went from 2 days/wk to 1 day of 5 hours, and is now mandatory. However, we're excused if we're post-overnight, in the ICU, or on vacation. Our attendence had been REALLY bad, so we'll see if this changes things...

 

[southerndoc]

We're required to go to conference for all rotations except medicine and the units.

The only punishment you get for not going is if you don't meet the RRC 70% requirement. They won't let you graduate unless you attend the required number of conferences. They do hold you up to this, too. Last week I saw a "graduated" resident attending conference -- he only needed one more to be officially finished with the program.

How many of you get off of off-service rotations to attend conference?

 

[DrQuinn]

We're required to go to conference for all rotations except medicine and the units.

The only punishment you get for not going is if you don't meet the RRC 70% requirement. They won't let you graduate unless you attend the required number of conferences. They do hold you up to this, too. Last week I saw a "graduated" resident attending conference -- he only needed one more to be officially finished with the program.

How many of you get off of off-service rotations to attend conference?

The only off-service rotation where we can't attend conference is MICU, just too busy. All other months are mandatory protected time.

Q, DO

 

[mikecwru]

We're required to make like 75%, they take attendance each hour. If you don't meet the requirement, you don't advance to the next year. No shift punishment. Most off service are good with us leaving for conference. We're working on getting the rules changed so that if you're post call, or between nights, the "available hours" is lower (ie, the denominator is subtracted).

mike

 

[roja]

Absolutely no confrence on unit months (2- CCU, MICU). OB/GYN is excused because its overnights but there is discussion about figuring a way around this so that interns can make confrence. especially as we are completely superfulous on that rotation. All other rotations are protected.

 

[Seaglass]

We have a similar system to Southerndoc. You just have to make your 70%. Medicine and units it is generally understood that you won't make it to conference.

C

 

[anonymousEM]

we were informed that the official GME workhour rule is that you are still allowed 5 hours of conference in addition to the max work hours in EM. And you can still go to ALL five hours of conference after a TWELVE hour shift but the rules state that you then must have twelve off before you come back. So if you're working a series of overnight 12s you're off the hook, but if you worked overnight 8s, you have to come for conference or it gets counted towards the 75% mandatory attendence that doesn't allow for vacation, MICU, TICU, etc.... And there's threats of penalty shifts, but no one really knows the magic number except that there's been a few who were REALLY low that had to do them.

 

[Seaglass]

Our PD thinks that penalty shifts are a bad way to motivate residents. Instead he is trying to make conference more interesting. He is a genius.

C

 

[docB]

I never have understood what all the fuss about the new ACGME work rules is. They are easy to abide by and schedule for once you enact the approved ACGME 36 hour day and 10 day week program.

 

[mountebank]

100% is dumb...the goal should be to reach 100%, plus as another posted mentioned....try to make conference more enjoyable. 😴

but in the end, its residency...we knew there would be unreasonable expectations when we sent the ERAS.

 

[lawmd]

has anyone thought about videotaping conferences so that those of you who were post call or in the unit could "watch" the conference later and still get credit?

 

[Febrifuge]

At Hennepin, the weekly conference is video- and audiotaped, and (in theory) it's available for EMS services or other hospitals to see, and also stored for streaming or downloading later. (In theory.)

 

[southerndoc]

has anyone thought about videotaping conferences so that those of you who were post call or in the unit could "watch" the conference later and still get credit?

We currently put the slideshows on the web (with audio from the presentation).

However, according to one of our chiefs, the RRC will NOT allow you to get credit for watching videos or presentations with audio. The only way to get credit is to be physically present.

He said they were working on trying to get it so we could get credit when we couldn't make it to conference (e.g., during an off-service rotation like ICU months or during away rotations).

 

[Seaglass]

I think it would be good to clarify what is "mandatory" and what is not. 100%? I selected "not mandatory" but as we all know you have to be at at least 70% as per the RRC. At Wake the onus is on us (get it: onus - on us) to attend and sign in. There are no penalties for missing aside from not being able to graduate.

C

 

[roja]

We lobbied our PD and managed to get our attendance policy to 90%. The vast majority of our class goes almost a 100%. I think our gripe was the punitive nature of the policy.

 

[margaritaboy]

We have what I would call a humanely mandatory conference attendance policy.

Are we required to attend? Yes. But, if you are post call or post overnight ED shift then you only have to attend the first hour (M & M). If your ED shift ended at 1AM, then you don't have to show up to conference until 9AM. If you are rotating at an outside hospital, then you don't have to attend.

A very equitable policy in my opinion. There are punitive measures for anyone that assumes the role of chronic slacker, however. I've not seen them implemented yet though....