Surgery residency - how the hours fall

[ayoung45]

---

Members do not see this ad.

If you work say 100 hours, how would they normally go? I mean would you usually have a 24 hour on call period (leaving 76 hours over the other 6 days)?

Is it like (14 hours x 7 days) or more like (24 hours x 2 days plus 13 hours x 4 days) or what?

Wondering how a typical week might go.

Thanks !!

 

[smq123]

If you work say 100 hours, how would they normally go? I mean would you usually have a 24 hour on call period (leaving 76 hours over the other 6 days)?

Is it like (14 hours x 7 days) or more like (24 hours x 2 days plus 13 hours x 4 days) or what?

Wondering how a typical week might go.

As a surgery resident, you shouldn't be working 100 hour weeks all that often.... If you are, then your program isn't going to last too long.

Most programs have a nightfloat system in place, to avoid 100 hour work weeks. So it reduces the amount of call that you take.

 

[Tired]

As a surgery resident, you shouldn't be working 100 hour weeks all that often.... If you are, then your program isn't going to last too long.

Most programs have a nightfloat system in place, to avoid 100 hour work weeks. So it reduces the amount of call that you take.

Most? I think you have a bit of an idealized view of how seriously the surgical world is taking the ACGME rules.

The hours you work as a resident will depend on the service and how many people are taking call.

It's easy to figure out the hours: say you have 2-3 30hr days per week. Divide up the hours on the remaining days. There you go.

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

I don't think night float is quite as prevalent as the poster above seems to think. That being said my typical week looked something like this:


Mon-Tues: 30 hours (call)
Wed: 13 hours
Th: 13 hours
Fri: 13 hours
Sat-Sun: 30 hours (call)


The 13 hours were variable obviously but we probably averaged something like that per day. The above example would be a fairly heavy weak because of the weekend call. Normally on weekends if we weren't on call we would do 5-6 hours each day to round and write notes, etc. So some weeks would be more like the above which is close to 100 and others would be closer to 70-75. Overall I felt my intern year was very tolerable.

 

[smq123]

Most? I think you have a bit of an idealized view of how seriously the surgical world is taking the ACGME rules.

I don't think night float is quite as prevalent as the poster above seems to think.

I stand corrected, then. 😳

How prevalent ARE night float systems, do you think?

At our hospital, which does use a night float system, the interns usually work from 5 AM to ~ 6 PM, M-F. They may be on call either Friday night or Saturday night, but not every week.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I don't think night float is quite as prevalent as the poster above seems to think. That being said my typical week looked something like this:


Mon-Tues: 30 hours (call)
Wed: 13 hours
Th: 13 hours
Fri: 13 hours
Sat-Sun: 30 hours (call)


The 13 hours were variable obviously but we probably averaged something like that per day. The above example would be a fairly heavy weak because of the weekend call. Normally on weekends if we weren't on call we would do 5-6 hours each day to round and write notes, etc. So some weeks would be more like the above which is close to 100 and others would be closer to 70-75. Overall I felt my intern year was very tolerable.

And this from a "lifestyle friendly" specialty!

I stand corrected, then. 😳

How prevalent ARE night float systems, do you think?

Its hard to say, there is no data that I'm aware of.

At our hospital, which does use a night float system, the interns usually work from 5 AM to ~ 6 PM, M-F. They may be on call either Friday night or Saturday night, but not every week.

Wer're all products of our environment. I've never worked at a hospital that used night float, so it seems to be unusual to me. I hear about it, like some strange bird on the Discovery Channel that I wish to learn more about, but I've never seen it.

I'd venture its more common at bigger programs that can afford to have night floats and pull the residents out of the daytime OR schedule to cover the house at night.

Like Tired and Pir8DeacDoc (what the heck does that stand for anyway? I'm always having to look it up when I refer to you) I don't think its as common as the old fashioned ways nor do I think most programs adhere strictly to the 80 hr workweek. If the Committee of Interns and Residents is to be believed (as opposed to the bogus ACGME study), more than 75% of residents report being over hours on a regular basis.

 

[Blade28]

As a surgery resident, you shouldn't be working 100 hour weeks all that often.... If you are, then your program isn't going to last too long.

You might be surprised, grasshopper!

Like Tired and Pir8DeacDoc (what the heck does that stand for anyway? I'm always having to look it up when I refer to you)

I always assumed:

Pir8 = Pirates (Seton Hall)
Deac = Demon Deacons (Wake Forest)

So maybe he went to Seton Hall for undergrad, and Wake Forest for med school?

I could be totally wrong though.

 

[smq123]

Wer're all products of our environment. I've never worked at a hospital that used night float, so it seems to be unusual to me. I hear about it, like some strange bird on the Discovery Channel that I wish to learn more about, but I've never seen it.

Hey - that's a pretty good analogy!

 

[DrDawg]

I don't think night float is quite as prevalent as the poster above seems to think. That being said my typical week looked something like this:


Mon-Tues: 30 hours (call)
Wed: 13 hours
Th: 13 hours
Fri: 13 hours
Sat-Sun: 30 hours (call)


The 13 hours were variable obviously but we probably averaged something like that per day. The above example would be a fairly heavy weak because of the weekend call. Normally on weekends if we weren't on call we would do 5-6 hours each day to round and write notes, etc. So some weeks would be more like the above which is close to 100 and others would be closer to 70-75. Overall I felt my intern year was very tolerable.

Our call is like the above but Q3-4. To the OP that means you would have Call either Thursday-Friday, or Friday-Saturday. We don't have to come in on the weekends if we are not on call.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I always assumed:

Pir8 = Pirates (Seton Hall)
Deac = Demon Deacons (Wake Forest)

So maybe he went to Seton Hall for undergrad, and Wake Forest for med school?

I could be totally wrong though.

Good Lord. I NEVER would have come up with that combination (although pirate came to mind, but not in the sense of a college team).

For your sake, I hope you're right...otherwise you have way too much knowledge of college sports teams.

 

[Blade28]

For your sake, I hope you're right...otherwise you have way too much knowledge of college sports teams.

(1) I'm a guy
(2) I've been wondering about his username for about the past 3 years 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

(1) I'm a guy

Ehhh...not an excuse. Some guys just aren't that into sports.

Then again, the males in my family and my ex were not sports fanatics so I'm not used to being around men with such detailed sports knowledge.

A college BF once tried to give me a football quiz, stating he would break up with me if I failed. I really hated breaking up with him.

(2) I've been wondering about his username for about the past 3 years 🙂

Maybe he'll actually tell us what it means. I keep thinking its something ENT.

 

[Blade28]

Ehhh...not an excuse. Some guys just aren't that into sports.

Then maybe they're not real men? 🙂

Then again, the males in my family and my ex were not sports fanatics so I'm not used to being around men with such detailed sports knowledge.

Whoops. Just kidding!

 

[GoodMonkey]

(1) I'm a guy
(2) I've been wondering about his username for about the past 3 years 🙂

i thought it had something to do with wake forest, too.

i don't count in the gender discussion, though, as i'm a female ortho resident. 😉

 

[Blade28]

i don't count in the gender discussion, though, as i'm a female ortho resident. 😉

What???

For some reason, all this time, I thought you were a dude! 😱

 

[madtowngirl]

my program has night float for most rotations

My typical day is 5am-6 or 7pm. We typically work 2 weekends a month, doing a Sat/Sun call shift. So weeks with call are 90ish hours, weeks without are 70ish hours

Night float does Sun-Sat 6pm-7am. That comes in at just under 80 hours total. 79.5 actually, if I go to conferences.

I did not think too hard about either traditional call or night float while picking a residency, and honestly I think either way would be fine. Post call days are nice for doing normal stuff like running errands though. Some months I am never out of the hospital during normal business hours.

 

[blz]

And this from a "lifestyle friendly" specialty!

he was talking about his intern year (GS not ENT).

 

[Pir8DeacDoc]

he was talking about his intern year (GS not ENT).

That is correct... I try not to keep those kinds of hours now (especially while on research). 🙂


pir8: east carolina university pirates (med school)
deac: wake forest university (undergrad)


Glad my username has generated this much discussion. I'm flattered

 

[Blade28]

pir8: east carolina university pirates (med school)
deac: wake forest university (undergrad)

Well I was 1-for-2. 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

he was talking about his intern year (GS not ENT).

Ah...gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.