Duty Hour Policy, GME: The Institution Manual
Residency Management Suite (RMS) Updating and Approving Assignments and Hours in Duty Hour Module of RMS
Principles
The program must be committed to and be responsible for promoting patient safety and resident well-being and to providing a supportive educational environment. The learning objectives of the program must not be compromised by excessive reliance on residents to fulfill service obligations. Didactic and clinical education must have priority in the allotment of residents’ time and energy. Duty hour assignments must recognize that faculty and residents collectively have responsibility for the safety and welfare of patients.
Fatigue
Cab vouchers available for any trainee who feels or is deemed by another that they are too impaired to drive safely home. Faculty and residents must be educated to recognize the signs of fatigue and sleep deprivation and must adopt and apply policies to prevent and counteract its potential negative effects on patient care and learning.
Duty Hours (the terms in this section are defined in the ACGME Glossary)
Duty hours are defined as all clinical and academic activities related to the program; i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties relative to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care; time spent in-house during call activities, and scheduled activities, such as conferences. Duty hours do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the duty site. Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of all in-house call activities. Residents must be provided with one day in seven free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of call. Adequate time for rest and personal activities must be provided. This should consist of a 10-hour time period provided between all daily duty periods and after in-house call.
Reporting Duty Hour Violations
GME In accordance with the Institution Duty Hour Monitoring Policy trainees concerned about continuous duty hour violations by their program can contact the Designated Institution Official or send a confidential email to gmedhv@umn.edu
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