DUTY HOUR GUIDELINES
The ACGME duty hour standards include these provisions:
· An 80-hour weekly limit, averaged over four weeks.
· An adequate rest period, which should consist of 10 hours of rest between duty periods.
· A 24-hour limit on continuous duty, with up to six added hours for continuity of care and education.
· One day in seven free from patient care and educational obligations, averaged over four weeks.
· In house call no more than once every three nights, averaged over four weeks.
GUIDELINES FOR WEEKEND INPATIENT COVERAGE RESPONSIBILITIES
The following guidelines have been developed to clarify resident on-call responsibilities as doctor-on-call (DOC) and as a physician responsible to inpatients. They have been developed to address the educational goals of DOC and inpatient training, to conform to ACGME requirements, and to accommodate the DOC responsibilities at the various hospitals.
1. Residents rotating on inpatient services are responsible for the off-hour clinical needs of their patients.
2. Residents must be free of inpatient and DOC responsibilities at least one weekend per month (Saturday & Sunday).
3. Due to the complexities of the DOC scheduling, DOC assignments need to take precedent over inpatient coverage responsibilities. The chief residents will be mindful of these guidelines when they schedule DOC. With the approval of their supervisory attending, residents are permitted to fulfill inpatient coverage responsibilities on the same day as DOC responsibilities.