Night Float

[Just Joshin]

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What does this mean? I've seen third years and residents use it, but I don't understand it.

P.S. I'm posting this ? here because if it were posted in the allo or the resident forum, it would be moved since there are students/residents reading here.

 

[Depakote]

it means there is a resident (or multiple residents) specifically assigned to cover the patients on various teams overnight.

Rather than having someone work a full day and spend the night covering everybody's patients, this system allows a fresh resident to come on and cover overnight.

 

[unhappytnt]

it means there is a resident (or multiple residents) specifically assigned to cover the patients on various teams overnight.

Rather than having someone work a full day and spend the night covering everybody's patients, this system allows a fresh resident to come on and cover overnight.

Thanks. 👍 I didn't know what it meant either.

 

[Just Joshin]

it means there is a resident (or multiple residents) specifically assigned to cover the patients on various teams overnight.

Rather than having someone work a full day and spend the night covering everybody's patients, this system allows a fresh resident to come on and cover overnight.

Thanks! So it's basically like shift work then? It eliminates call altogether? Do attendings do any kind of night float or is it just residents?

 

[476515678234896]

it means there is a resident (or multiple residents) specifically assigned to cover the patients on various teams overnight.

Rather than having someone work a full day and spend the night covering everybody's patients, this system allows a fresh resident to come on and cover overnight.

so.....how's medicine?

 

[nlax30]

Thanks! So it's basically like shift work then? It eliminates call altogether? Do attendings do any kind of night float or is it just residents?

Basically like a "night shift". May not eliminate call all together, depends on how big a residency program is and how it's structured. So on a particular month there may be a night float team of a few residents and they cover nights that month, etc...

As far as attendings go, just all depends on what field their in, how they practice is setup, etc.. Unless you're strictly doing something more shift-work based like ER or hospitalist, then chances are you'll be on some sort of call schedule.

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks! So it's basically like shift work then? It eliminates call altogether? Do attendings do any kind of night float or is it just residents?

Sort of. A typical night float schedule might be Sunday through Friday nights from 6pm to 7am for a period of 4 weeks. One or two residents each do this for each of the 12 months over the course of the year. The ones not on night float take turns having overnight (30 hour) call on Saturday. Night float is many programs' answer to how to keep the hospital staffed 24-7 without having so many call days per month that you run in danger of exceeding the 80 hour work week requirement. So it's not like ER shift work where you have a handful of shifts per month -- you do it every night (but one) for a month.

Attendings generally don't do night float. They take turns being on call at home, and if you need to, you call them and wake them up. (That's very different than resident call where you most typically are on call overnight in the hospital, working most of the night). At some programs it's mostly the interns and junior residents that do night float. There's generally a senior or chief reachable each night as well so calling the attending is rarely the first call you make.