New York, NY – More than 6 out of 10 surgical residents work more hours than safety regulations allow, according to a new survey.
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The results, published this month in the Archives of Surgery, found that more than one third of 144 newly-minted doctors did not take long enough breaks between shifts. And one in five worked more than 90 hours a week.
Rules designed to ensure patient safety and improve medical education state that residents – doctors who are completing their training – should limit their workload to 80 hours per week, take a 10-hour break between shifts, and take a day off once a week.
“It’s a big challenge to comply with these duty hour regulations,” Dr. Celia Divino, the lead researcher on the study and the chief of general surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, told Reuters Health.
And these lazy teamsters in wiscosin whine about working more than 40 hours a week. People still underestimate and under appreciate Doctors and their hard work.
If you are going to regulate them , first help them.
The first 50 hours they work for themselves and to payback their tuition. The second 50 hours is to cover their insurance premiums!!!
This is one area where government regulation is vital. I don’t want to go to an ER with a doc who hasn’t slept in 24 hours deciding whether I’m having a heart attack or indigestion.
Medical Residency is greuling work and even the best is daunted by the extreme difficulty of the residency process. I doubt that anyone can endure more than a 30 hour shift, let alone 36 hours. When I was in training, I even was in a program that did not let me go home for 3 days straight due to a “trade” in call schedules. I went in on Wednesday and home on Friday afternoon. I am sure this is “illegal”. Fortunately a nice senior let me go to bed after being up about 30 hours.
A physician EARNS his income. I profess that graduating with up to 250K in debt is not an easy situation for anyone. One must consider the commitment that someone makes to be your physician. If its a specialist, all the more. Be glad that your health care insurance pays most if not all the fees.