/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/som/policies-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Texas-Rio-Grande-Valley/json/som/policies.json

EAA032 Clinical Year 3 and 4 Duty Hours Policy

Policy Number: EAA032
Policy Title: Clinical Year 3 and 4 Duty Hours Policy

A. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for compliance in alignment with the LCME accreditation requirements for student work hours. Duty hour restrictions are established to reduce student fatigue, medical errors, as well as to ready students for graduate medical education.

B. Persons Affected

The policy will cover all students participating in the UTRGV SOM clinical curriculum.

C. Implementation Date

This policy is effective with the UTRGV SOM inaugural Class of 2020 and will remain in effect for future classes unless otherwise amended.

D. Definitions

1. Duty hours: all clinical and academic activities related to the clinical education, i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties related to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, time spent in-house during call activities, and scheduled academic activities such as conferences. Duty hours do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the work site.

E. Policy

Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a 4-week period inclusive of all in-house call activities. Students must adhere to the following:

1. Students must be scheduled for a minimum of 1 day free of duty every week averaged over 4 weeks.
2. Scheduled duty periods for MS Year 3 students must not exceed 16 hours. Scheduled duty periods for MS Year 4 students On-Call must follow the ACGME duty hour requirements (must not exceed 24 hours per shift).
3. Students must have a minimum of 8-10 hours of rest between duty periods.

F. Procedures

1. Supervising faculty and teaching residents will be educated on the student duty hours policy. The Clinical Year 3 & 4 Duty Hours policy will be made available to them for review.
2. During each Clerkship Orientation, the duty hours policy will be reviewed, and all students will be required to acknowledge in writing that they have received training and understand the duty hours policy.
3. Students will also be instructed on how to use the Internet-based duty hour tracking system, via One45, to input their duty, conference, and on-call hours. Students will be required to input duty hours into One45 on a weekly basis. Students may review their duty hour status at any time by accessing the duty hour tracking system in One45.
4. Students who are unable to access the Internet in order to input their duty hours must notify the Academic Coordinator.
5. Students will inform academic coordinators or clerkship directors if faculty/teachers require students to work past duty hour limitations. Students may also anonymously report through the UTRGV SOM Professionalism portal.
6. Reports on duty hours are available in One45 for Clerkship Directors to review. Clerkship Directors may discuss any findings with the Academic Coordinators and students prior to any action.
7. Unresolved duty hour violations are investigated by the clerkship director and reported to the Assistant Dean of Medical Education, Clerkships.
8. In the event of policy violations, progressive administrative action will be taken and plans for correction of recurrent violations will be developed.