COM112 Work Hours – COM Medical Education

No./Title: COM112/Work Hours

Resp. Office: Medical Education

Approval Body: CUME

Effective Date: 05/18/20

Category: COM/UME

Last Review: 09/20/21

Next Review: 09/19/24

Contact: Michael Whitt, Ph.D.

Assoc. Dean for Medical Education

🕿 901-448-4634

🖂 mwhitt@uthsc.edu

Related Policy:

COM107 – Grading for the MD Curriculum

COM108 – Student Mistreatment

POLICY

To address the time commitment required of medical students during clinical rotations, taking into account the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on learning, clinical activities, student health and safety, and patient safety, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine (COM) has adopted the following policy.

RATIONALE AND PROCEDURE

  1. Work Hours policy
    • This policy applies to all medical students on clinical rotations.
    • Work hours will be limited to 80 hours per week averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of all in-house call, patient care activities and didactics.
    • Continuous on-site duty, including in-house call, will not exceed 28 hours consecutively, which should be 24 hours of call plus 4 hours for continuity of care and handover, which includes participation in transferring care of patients, conducting outpatient clinics, maintaining continuity of medical and surgical care, and attending didactic activities.
    • Students should be provided with a 14-hour period after 24-hour in-house call during which they are free from all patient care activities and didactics.
    • Students may not take overnight call any more frequently than one day in three averaged over a four-week period.
    • For students participating in night shifts, night float or long call shifts, shifts should not exceed 16 hours and students must have a minimum of 10 hours off in between shifts.
    • Students will be provided with one day in seven free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a rotation, inclusive of call. One day is defined as one continuous 24-hour period free from all clinical, didactic, and administrative activities.
  2. Documentation of Work Hours
    • Medical students are required to document work hours for core clinical clerkships and required JI rotations.
    • Duty hours are to be documented in the approved system (currently eClas by eMedley) by the end of the clerkship. For consequences of late documentation, please refer to COM107 – Grading for the MD Curriculum.
  3. Reporting Violations of Work Hours
    • Any student on any clinical rotation with a complaint or concern regarding work hours or a violation in work hours, should contact the Clerkship or Course Director for the rotation.
    • Please refer to COM108 – Student Mistreatment for how to report work hour violations.

APPROVAL HISTORY

Effective: 05/18/20

Revised: 09/20/21


COM112 Work Hours – COM Medical Education
Version: 1 // Effective: 05/18/2020
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