Residency Schedule

[Nucleophobe]

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It's a little early in the game for me to be asking, but I was just curious how things have panned out for others.

I understand residencies are instructed to comply to the 80 hour week rule, but how often does one get a day off in an orthopedic residency? Browsing around scutwork.com I noticed that it's different everywhere but sometimes the night float gets the whole weekend off.

Specifically the reason I ask is for Sundays. I'm LDS (Mormon) and would really prefer to spend some time on the weekend with my family occasionally and attend church Sunday morning when possible. I've spoken with other LDS MD's and they seemed to average one Sunday / month in which they had the morning available during residency. Would it be like that for all five years?

Thanks

 

[skiz knot]

It's a little early in the game for me to be asking, but I was just curious how things have panned out for others.

I understand residencies are instructed to comply to the 80 hour week rule, but how often does one get a day off in an orthopedic residency? Browsing around scutwork.com I noticed that it's different everywhere but sometimes the night float gets the whole weekend off.

Specifically the reason I ask is for Sundays. I'm LDS (Mormon) and would really prefer to spend some time on the weekend with my family occasionally and attend church Sunday morning when possible. I've spoken with other LDS MD's and they seemed to average one Sunday / month in which they had the morning available during residency. Would it be like that for all five years?

Thanks

First, EVERY PROGRAM IS DIFFERENT. Every program has different call responsibilities, that often differ depending on your PGY.

You will get at least one day off per week, on average, everywhere. This is an ACGME requirement. Some rotations will give more time off per week. Most days off will be on a weekend. If you have four weekend days off per month, you could reasonably expect 1/2 of them to be Sundays, giving you at least 2 per month. You WILL be expected to work some Sundays. Don't expect your non-LDS residents to graciously offer to cover you every Sunday so you can go to church. Remember, they may wan't to go to church themselves, or spend time with their family, go shopping, or go on a weekend bender.

 

[Nucleophobe]

You will get at least one day off per week, on average, everywhere. This is an ACGME requirement.

Thanks skiz, that already clears up some of my confusion.
7 * 12 = 84 hours; Would an 80 hour week would be one in which you are on in-house call or something?

You WILL be expected to work some Sundays. Don't expect your non-LDS residents to graciously offer to cover you every Sunday so you can go to church. Remember, they may wan't to go to church themselves, or spend time with their family, go shopping, or go on a weekend bender.

Sorry if I sounded a little presumptuous. I realize other residents would certainly have their wishes to be at home or elsewhere with affairs outside of work. In fact I was surprised at how many on the scutworks reviews mentioned residents having families and coping just fine.

What I'm trying to understand for myself right now is how much I will be sacrificing and whether it's in line with my longterm goals.

Could one safely assume that the larger the trauma center, the more weekend hours one would end up working? Or would it depend on other factors as well? (number of residents from year to year for example)

 

[skiz knot]

Thanks skiz, that already clears up some of my confusion.
7 * 12 = 84 hours; Would an 80 hour week would be one in which you are on in-house call or something?


Sorry if I sounded a little presumptuous. I realize other residents would certainly have their wishes to be at home or elsewhere with affairs outside of work. In fact I was surprised at how many on the scutworks reviews mentioned residents having families and coping just fine.

What I'm trying to understand for myself right now is how much I will be sacrificing and whether it's in line with my longterm goals.

Could one safely assume that the larger the trauma center, the more weekend hours one would end up working? Or would it depend on other factors as well? (number of residents from year to year for example)

Time spent on call will count towards the 80 hour work week.
Elective rotations TEND to have fewer hours (50-65) worked compared to trauma rotations, at most institutions.

Do not assume fewer hours worked at smaller institutions as there are often fewer residents to spread the work/call load. Again, not to sound repetitive, but it is institution/rotation dependent.

You can certainly manage a family/social/personal life in an orthopaedic residency, but, like in every other residency, it takes work.

 

[Nucleophobe]

I appreciate the input skiz.

Are hours / lifestyle something you considered in applying to residency? I can also see how a residency in a smaller unit or with less hours would have the disadvantage of less cases... What advice would you give when prioritizing these variables?

 

[kdburton]

It's a little early in the game for me to be asking, but I was just curious how things have panned out for others.

I understand residencies are instructed to comply to the 80 hour week rule, but how often does one get a day off in an orthopedic residency? Browsing around scutwork.com I noticed that it's different everywhere but sometimes the night float gets the whole weekend off.

Specifically the reason I ask is for Sundays. I'm LDS (Mormon) and would really prefer to spend some time on the weekend with my family occasionally and attend church Sunday morning when possible. I've spoken with other LDS MD's and they seemed to average one Sunday / month in which they had the morning available during residency. Would it be like that for all five years?

Thanks

It probably varies a lot based on which rotation you're on and what residency program you're at. At some places when you're on a sports rotation for instance, you only do sports (i.e. you don't come in and round on inpatients from other services, etc). Some places I interviewed at seemed like they rounded on all the inpatients in the hospital as a group regardless of what your primary service is - usually seemed like this was the smaller programs. If you're on a rotation where there aren't inpatients and you don't operate on weekends then you may have all of your weekend days off. If you're on trauma and you're Q3 then it just depends whether or not you get Sunday as your post-call day and whether or not they actually let you go in the morning or if you end up staying until noon. If there is a night float system then maybe you'll have the weekend off (this is what its like at my home program as well). One program I interviewed at actually had a schedule such that you are Q2 (but get out at 7am post-call) for two weeks and then the next two weeks you take no call and during that month you have one two day weekend free and one three day weekend free each month. So its going to vary a lot.

 

[Mr. Freeze]

What I'm trying to understand for myself right now is how much I will be sacrificing...

Your soul. Or at least much more than you think. But yeah, you'll have a few Sundays off to pray for it.

 

[perilou]

Your soul. Or at least much more than you think. But yeah, you'll have a few Sundays off to pray for it.

You just gotta think about what's more important to you... Eternal Salvation... or distal radius fractures!

As for me, my pact is sealed.

 

[irie]

It's a little early in the game for me to be asking, but I was just curious how things have panned out for others.

I understand residencies are instructed to comply to the 80 hour week rule, but how often does one get a day off in an orthopedic residency? Browsing around scutwork.com I noticed that it's different everywhere but sometimes the night float gets the whole weekend off.

Specifically the reason I ask is for Sundays. I'm LDS (Mormon) and would really prefer to spend some time on the weekend with my family occasionally and attend church Sunday morning when possible. I've spoken with other LDS MD's and they seemed to average one Sunday / month in which they had the morning available during residency. Would it be like that for all five years?

Thanks

Get rid of the idea of working less than 80 hours per week. We all write that stuff on our hours logs but that isn't reality. Also, you won't get many sundays off but you'll get 4 weekend days off per month. Usually one golden weekend of magic.