Policy on Clinical and Educational Hours
In an effort to promote student wellness and patient safety, clinical rotations must provide students with adequate time for individual study, sleep, and relaxation. Clinical and educational hours are defined as all clinical and educational activities assigned by the rotation. Clinical and educational requirements include inpatient and outpatient clinical activities (including completing clinical documentation) and assigned academic exercises (e.g., conferences, lectures, and skills sessions). Clinical and educational hours do not include personal study time.
Specific expectations are as follows:
- Clinical and educational work hours, including on-call requirements, must not exceed 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period, including required educational activities.
- Clinical work periods (including on-site duty and in-house calls) must not exceed 24 hours of continuously scheduled clinical assignments.
- In House Call
- If students are scheduled for in-house 24-hour call, it must occur no more frequently than every third night.
- Up to four hours of additional time after a 24-hour call may be used for activities such as providing care transitions and education.
- In House Call
- At Home Call
- Patient care activities, including responding to telephone calls and entering notes in the electronic health record, count towards the 80-hour weekly limit.
- In the event a student on At Home Call needs to come into the hospital for an extended period for patient care activities, such as to preclude reasonable rest, they should discuss the situation with their attending. Options may include coming in later or leaving early.
- In no case may a student exceed 28 hours of continuous clinical and/or required educational activities.
- Students will be provided a minimum of one day in seven, averaged over four weeks and (within the specific dates of the clerkship and/or block), free from any required clinical or assigned educational responsibilities. At Home Call cannot be assigned on these free days.
Note: The weekend dates between clerkships and selective rotations are not considered part of the rotation and are excluded.