Current Events > 24 hour shifts?! Why do people want to even become doctors?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Was at an OBGYN visit with my wife, and the OBGYN casually mentioned that she delivered 5 babies her last shift. I asked how long her shift was, and she said it's 24 hours long. I asked how often is her 24-hour shift, and she said 4 times a month; could be once a week or more than once a week, it's really up to how scheduling works. Even so, she has to work three 10 hour shifts per week outside of that for patient care. She then said she's been doing this for 26 years, so she probably delivered over 2,000 babies and laughed.

That's fucking NUTS! I Google'd it, and saw this recent Reddit post that confirms such crazy shifts, all over the world (there are comments that say that in Europe, Germany, etc. they also do this):
https://www.reddit.com/r/Residency/comments/15jq0ws/are_24_hour_shifts_still_a_thing/

Why in the world would you ever want to become a doctor if you have to regularly, for decades, have to work 60+ hours a week?!

cray cray

money and clout

some of them are just phenomenal assholes, astoundingly shitty to others

The true doctors want to help people and will do it but that's way too excessive, damn

My wife would work 22 hours, and take a 2 hour nap at the animal hospital.

It should be illegal. Long shifts in healthcare put everyone at risk

The majority of the doctors at my job are also hot af women. If you have the looks to be a model but you're also super smart and hard working, what else would you be? Some schmuck house wife or would you live up to your potential as a superior being?

When you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.

Wish I could get paid to do nothing, but alas.

hockeybabe89 posted...

It should be illegal. Long shifts in healthcare put everyone at risk

Well actually, one justification I read is that it reduces mistakes due to reduced patient turnover; in other words, info missed during increased number of patient turnover may harm more than a doctor being tired. No idea how true this is though.

I also assume the OBGYN was able to sleep in one of their little rooms and get some rest if they wanted. I truly doubt they're just elbow deep in uteri for 24 straight hours.

Some people love it.

Yeah, they've got to take some breaks for sleeping and eating, otherwise they're putting many lives at stake.

Just a reminder that 24 hour shift doesnt necessarily mean no sleep or 24 hours straight of work though you can have days that are very busy. When I was in the military I regularly had 24 hour duty days. Similar situation.

archizzy posted...

Just a reminder that 24 hour shift doesnt necessarily mean no sleep or 24 hours straight of work though you can have days that are very busy. When I was in the military I regularly had 24 hour duty days. Similar situation.

Military is just "hurry up and wait" tho.

IdiotMachine posted...

Military is just "hurry up and wait" tho.

This. Hospital work can have you running around and not having time to yourself during those 24 hours, let alone time to eat and sleep. The military is exemplified by long hours of boredom while you are on duty. Assuming that you're not under fire, of course.

Probably for the fat paychecks

Just the other day there was an article how a doctor in my city worked 360 hours in January because they're understaffed.

Ridiculous.

Just an FYI, ACGME sets limitations on the "24 hour call", however, it is very poorly enforced as resident physicians are often told to lie on their duty hours and sometimes they are very inaccurately recorded/documented.

Seen it happen many times, even done it myself back in the day.

voldothegr8 posted...

Probably for the fat paychecks

https://www.salary.com/research/salary/posting/
medical-resident-salary/new-york-ny

I do 24 hour shifts all the time. It really isn't that bad >_> Plus they pay well too. Hell I just got off one today

Most OB/GYNs have to do 24 hour shifts a few times a month. Kind of the nature of the job. A lot of patients also want THEIR doctor delivering their baby, so some OB/GYNs actually work wild hours to care for their patients.

my gf is an OB/GYN and has to do 2 24 hour shifts a month. Whats wild is those 24 hour shifts are more like 36 hour shifts.

she has to do her call on weekends, so sometimes shell work Sunday 7am-Monday 7am but then has her normal workday on Monday until 5pm.

I still dont get how thats even safe, but apparently its just part of the job.

hockeybabe89 posted...

It should be illegal. Long shifts in healthcare put everyone at risk

It should be illegal, but its not. It is because we physicians are too much of a pussy to unionize.

Refer to the link below:

https://www.kevinmd.com/2020/07/3-reasons-why-doctors-dont-unionize.html

IdiotMachine posted...

Well actually, one justification I read is that it reduces mistakes due to reduced patient turnover; in other words, info missed during increased number of patient turnover may harm more than a doctor being tired. No idea how true this is though.

Not true, or maybe you are misunderstanding.

1. It's not about "patient turnover", it is about patient hand off. We have the responsibility to signout or "give handout" of the patients we take care of (like giving the summary of the patient, what needs to be done tonight, etc). Often times during this process, some things get lost in communication which can lead to delay in care or a bad outcome. If you shorten the number of hours per shift for each resident, then there will be more sign outs, and more information gets lost in the process.
2. The culture nowadays is shifting to less 24 hour calls. But it really does decrease the amount of learning and clinical training if they don't do 24 hour call. You really do in fact learn more and become more independent and build confidence in your skills if you work at night time because of decreased support staff. You will still have one supervising attending watching you, but you are limited on your resources to call, so you triage and figure out how to prioritize. Residents learn on their feet when they do this and it is what makes them competent physicians. Nowadays these residents don't even know how to order the proper dose of antibiotics and they waste my time and call me asking what dose to give, instead of spending time to look it up.
3. Getting rest or sleep really depends honestly. If you have a quiet night with nobody calling you, then good. If you have to see and deal with a sick patient, then you work it through.
4. Frequent hand offs lead to poor continuity of care for residents and overall worse training.

ClayGuida posted...

I also assume the OBGYN was able to sleep in one of their little rooms and get some rest if they wanted. I truly doubt they're just elbow deep in uteri for 24 straight hours.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Residency/comments/1ax4ftr/
my_hospital_admin_gave_us_ice_cream_a_water/

megamanfreakXD posted...

Not true, or maybe you are misunderstanding.

1. It's not about "patient turnover", it is about patient hand off. We have the responsibility to signout or "give handout" of the patients we take care of (like giving the summary of the patient, what needs to be done tonight, etc). Often times during this process, some things get lost in communication which can lead to delay in care or a bad outcome. If you shorten the number of hours per shift for each resident, then there will be more sign outs, and more information gets lost in the process.
2. The culture nowadays is shifting to less 24 hour calls. But it really does decrease the amount of learning and clinical training if they don't do 24 hour call. You really do in fact learn more and become more independent and build confidence in your skills if you work at night time because of decreased support staff. You will still have one supervising attending watching you, but you are limited on your resources to call, so you triage and figure out how to prioritize. Residents learn on their feet when they do this and it is what makes them competent physicians. Nowadays these residents don't even know how to order the proper dose of antibiotics and they waste my time and call me asking what dose to give, instead of spending time to look it up.
3. Getting rest or sleep really depends honestly. If you have a quiet night with nobody calling you, then good. If you have to see and deal with a sick patient, then you work it through.
4. Frequent hand offs lead to poor continuity of care for residents and overall worse training.

Yup, I meant hand off and not turnover; my bad...