Q? about 80 hour work week!

[goinverted]

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Hey everyone, I am writing a paper for medical anthropology on the attitudes toward the 80 regulated work week for resideny programs and would appreciate your input. A lot of you will probably have better input than those in the pre-med and med-student forums.

1. How do you feel about the 80 hour regulation?

2. How do you think they will affect resident learning abilitiy?

3. How do you feel it will affect malpractice?

4. Do you feel it will make the idea of becoming a doctor less overwhelming?

5. Do you think it will have an effect on the way older physicians view their replacements?

6. Do you feel that the 80 hour limit will be adhered to or will it be taken more as a loose rule, and why?

Thanks everyone. It is just your opinions so feel free to express them.

 

[PimplePopperMD]

Hey everyone, I am writing a paper for medical anthropology on the attitudes toward the 80 regulated work week for resideny programs and would appreciate your input. A lot of you will probably have better input than those in the pre-med and med-student forums.

1. How do you feel about the 80 hour regulation?

Big fan. It's needed in the profession to have such regulations, as otherwise, there is NO leaving the hospital (hence the term resident)


2. How do you think they will affect resident learning abilitiy?

Improve.

3. How do you feel it will affect malpractice?

No change.

4. Do you feel it will make the idea of becoming a doctor less overwhelming?

It will always be overwhelming to have the responsibility. Nothing can change this.

5. Do you think it will have an effect on the way older physicians view their replacements?

It sure does.

6. Do you feel that the 80 hour limit will be adhered to or will it be taken more as a loose rule, and why?

The limit is followed, almost religiously. Entire programs have had to redirect resources, hire moonlighters, and change schedules to accomodate the new regulations. This is not future tense, this is present tense. The regulatory commissions are very serious about finding programs that violate these regs, and program directors (at least the ones with whom I'm familiar) are very well versed in the regs, and do not want to lose accredidation.

Thanks everyone. It is just your opinions so feel free to express them

 

[goinverted]

Thanks for the reply Pimple! Anyone else? I just need a few more people to give some input. The more specific answers the better. 🙂

 

[W06]

Thanks for the reply Pimple! Anyone else? I just need a few more people to give some input. The more specific answers the better. 🙂

One caveat I'd make is that the 80/88 hour week is followed differently in different specialties. It's pretty easy to stay under the hours in "lifestyle" fields like path, derm, etc. But other specialties have a harder time, such as surgery and surgical subspecialties. That being said, some programs make a real effort to be compliant, some succeed, and some really just turn a blind eye. This is what makes the interview process so important, you need to really find out what programs are up to, and what you are willing to put up with for x number of years.

Being part of a program that makes an effort to be compliant, and every once in a while you have to run a bit over is much different from a program where the junior residents are expected to routinely put in 120+ weeks.