Work Hours and Call Schedule

Our program abides by ACGME duty hour restrictions on every rotation in the program. While on Psychiatry rotations, residents can expect to work on average 40-60 hours/week, depending on whether the rotation is inpatient or outpatient. 

PGY-1 psychiatry residents rotating on Primary Care rotations (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics) can expect to work an average of 10-16 hours/day, 5-6 days/week. Emergency Medicine rotations are 8-12 hours shifts with an average of 17-19 shifts per 4 week block. Our Neurology inpatient rotation averages 12 hours/day, 5 days/week, and our Neurology outpatient rotation averages 40-50 hours/week. All rotations follow ACGME Duty Hours per their specialty.

Off service rotations are interspersed throughout the year with psychiatry rotations to allow for cumulative learning and resident wellness.

Our call schedule is as follows:

PGY-1

• PGY-1 residents complete six weeks of Night Float throughout their first academic year in training.  During this rotation, residents will be responsible for admission and cross-coverage of patients on the adult and child psychiatry inpatient units at Marshall I. Pickens Hospital.  Residents are expected to be on site from 5pm-11pm and cover from home until 8am the following morning.  Night float is nights per week, Monday – Friday. 
• PGY-1 residents will also be responsible for covering most observied holidays. During holidays, the resident will be responsible for rounding at Marshall Pickens Hospital (adult unit only) and seeing new consults at GMH from 8AM – 5PM.  The resident will be responsible for screening admissions, taking call for any patients on the adult, geriatric, or child & adolescent unit, as well as accepting Psychiatry consults.

PGY-2

• PGY-2 residents will complete 4 weeks of Night Float throughout their second academic year.  Responsibilities are similar to those laid out in the PGY-1 year.
• Each PGY-2 resident will also be required to complete 12 weekend 24 hour shifts per academic year (either Saturday or Sunday, not both). During these weekend call days, the resident will be responsible for rounding at Marshall Pickens Hospital (adult unit only), and taking call from 8AM until 8AM the next day, but can complete these responsibilities from home once they complete rounding and turn in their notes. The schedule has been adjusted to allow for residents to not go over Duty Hour restrictions. Call responsibilities are the same to what is described for the PGY-1’s.  Residents taking call will have a post-call day following their call that is free from clinical duty

PGY-3

• PGY-3 residents will take nine days of weekend call throughout the entire academic year. The responsibilities of weekend call during the PGY-3 year is similar to that of the PGY-2 year.

PGY-4

• There are no scheduled overnight call responsibilities during the PGY-4 year.