Protected Didactics?

[DrSatan]

Just curious what kind of didactics experience you may have had. Given that protected didactics are an ACGME requirement (I think), I see this as two likely paths:

1. Protected didactics - Attendings or APPs cover the service while you are in lecture. It is not simply them holding the pager & having you do the work when you get back. They see new consults during this time.
2. "Protected" didactics - Attendings, APPs, or program coordinators may hold your pager, but ultimately nothing is done until you are out of lecture & get back to work.

Where does/did your program fall? Do you see any solutions to making didactics safely accessible for residents without simply increasing their work burden by delaying work?

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[Postictal Raiden]

Mine falls under the “protected” category.

Attendings/NP would respond to stroke alert or other emergencies tho.

 

[Neurogeneral]

My program had no such thing. We only had a couple of APPs and they were coddled and protected. If a resident was rotating on a service with APPs, the mid-levels would flat out stop seeing patients (with the approval of the attendings). Attendings would flat out refuse seeing a stroke or consult by themselves or reading EEGs during resident/fellow didactics/lectures.

 

[xenotype]

Your programs suck. Mine was truly protected. Unless you have a PD that really believes in it, it won't happen. Mine did, and numerous attempts to make it "protected" rather than Protected were shot down with prejudice. Having it concentrated at the end of a work day is key so that most of the work is already done other than the ER usual afternoon bolus at 3pm which attendings/APPs/interns handle.

 

[Thama]

Was definitely "protected". Only thing that they'd ever actually pull attendings or fellows to provide real coverage for was the RITE.

 

[ananasmed]

...there are programs where attendings will hold the pager during didactics? Asking for a friend.

In all seriousness, mine is in the "protected" category. We continue to hold the pager, but aren't expected to actually leave lecture unless it is for an emergency. Senior residents try to Protect juniors in those circumstances to allow them to stay. It can still be distracting/stressful to be paged multiple times regarding benign, non-urgent floor issues during the didactic session, even if you don't need to act on them immediately.