We are now several years into the 80-hour work week requirements for residents, but are you aware that work week restrictions are even stricter in other countries? How would shorter work weeks play in this country and if so, would it require adding a year to residency training? Gordon et al. (
doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-3498) decided to ask U.S. residents about how they felt about shorter work hours and a longer time for residency training. Almost 1,500 residents weighed in, and while the view is far from unanimous, the results suggest that if the shortened work hours improved residency education and patient care, more residents would be on board with the idea. What’s your opinion? Is training really about the quantity of hours on the job or achieving the competencies needed to move forward to Board Certification? Share your thoughts with us via e-letters or by posting your comments on our Facebook page — either way this article is worth your time, and won’t take a full work-hour to read.
