actual resident work hour and sleep stats

[freelancewriter]

There's an article on Pscyhiatric News that cites not only how many hours residents WORK, but also how many hours they SLEEP. There is a distinction, though I haven't heard it discussed much, if at all, on SDN.

A few quotes:
"Resident physicians in all specialties averaged 5.7 hours of sleep a night in PGY-1, and only 13.8 minutes more a night in PGY-2, a nationwide survey shows.

Among more than 1,600 PGY-1 residents in 21 specialties, those in pathology got the most sleep, an average of 6.9 hours a night. General surgery residents got the least, only five hours. PGY-1 psychiatry residents ranked fourth highest, averaging six hours a night."

"Few PGY-1 residents in any specialty moonlighted. About 17 percent of PGY-2 psychiatry residents did, however, averaging 29.5 hours a month at second jobs. "That shows they had the opportunity to choose to sleep, study, or spend free time with their families or on other activities," Baldwin said in an interview."

Here's the full article:
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/39/15/9?etoc

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[BeastNovot]

Hmm, not sure I get the thrust of your post, FreeLanceWriter. Are you enquiring as to how much sleep we get/choose to get, or merely making an observation? And when are you asking? When we're on call? When we are on out patient rotations/inpatient rotations/whatever? The on call situation is different in each specialty, too... hence my love of Pathology! But even as a pathology resident with home call my sleep schedule varies quite a bit, depending on when I am on call and how much work I have to do...

 

[margaritaboy]

5 hours sounds like quite a bit to me. I wonder what respondents brought the average up that high?

I can't agree with the "That shows they had the opportunity to choose..." statement, just because residents were moonlighting. Such an oversimplification presupposes that residents aren't 'choosing' to moonlight for such mundane purposes as financial survival! What a choice!

 

[freelancewriter]

I was merely pointing out the article without choosing sides. In truth, I'm just a bystander fascinated by the world of medicine.

OK, I confess... I do think 100 hours a week is crazy. Even the idea that 80 hours a week is an improvement sounds bizarre to most of us in the non-physician world.

The basic math has been done before:
1 week = 168 hours, minus duty hours, commute, studying, basic errands, etc. I don't know how you get any sleep.

As for moonlighting to pay bills, some would argue that's what loans are for. Forget malpractice insurance, use the money you save by going bare to pay back loans

 

[Winged Scapula]

As for moonlighting to pay bills, some would argue that's what loans are for. Forget malpractice insurance, use the money you save by going bare to pay back loans

Loans are not generally available to residents. Residents moonlight to pay bills for a variety of reasons but generally it is because their salary does not cover cost of living, loan repayment (some of us are not eligible for deferment) and family expenses.

 

[doc05]

I was merely pointing out the article without choosing sides. In truth, I'm just a bystander fascinated by the world of medicine.

OK, I confess... I do think 100 hours a week is crazy. Even the idea that 80 hours a week is an improvement sounds bizarre to most of us in the non-physician world.

The basic math has been done before:
1 week = 168 hours, minus duty hours, commute, studying, basic errands, etc. I don't know how you get any sleep.

As for moonlighting to pay bills, some would argue that's what loans are for. Forget malpractice insurance, use the money you save by going bare to pay back loans

what a tool. 100 hours a week isn't easy, but you get used to it. And give the surgeons credit. 100 hours is a light week.

 

[margaritaboy]

I was merely pointing out the article without choosing sides. In truth, I'm just a bystander fascinated by the world of medicine.

OK, I confess... I do think 100 hours a week is crazy. Even the idea that 80 hours a week is an improvement sounds bizarre to most of us in the non-physician world.

The basic math has been done before:
1 week = 168 hours, minus duty hours, commute, studying, basic errands, etc. I don't know how you get any sleep.

As for moonlighting to pay bills, some would argue that's what loans are for. Forget malpractice insurance, use the money you save by going bare to pay back loans

Not sure if this reply was directed at me, or the forum in general, but my criticism is of the article, not the poster. You're just the messenger....

As far as additional loans to pay bills....I'm not sure if you are kidding about that or not.

 

[starayamoskva]

As for moonlighting to pay bills, some would argue that's what loans are for. Forget malpractice insurance, use the money you save by going bare to pay back loans

Nice idea in theory, but it just doesn't work out that way in the real world. Malpractice insurance during residency is paid by the program not the individual. After residency it depends on what state you are working in whether you can go "bare" as some require malpractice insurance to practice.

 

[avgjoe]

Nice idea in theory, but it just doesn't work out that way in the real world. Malpractice insurance during residency is paid by the program not the individual. After residency it depends on what state you are working in whether you can go "bare" as some require malpractice insurance to practice.

not to mention what would happen if you went bare and got hit by a suit .. lots and lots of moonlighting wouldn't get you out of that one!