Work Hours and Call Schedule

While on Psychiatry rotations, residents can expect to work on average 40-60 hours/week, Mon-Fri, depending on whether the rotation is inpatient or outpatient.

PGY-1 psychiatry residents rotating on off-service 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 cycle. Our Neurology inpatient rotation averages 12 hours/day, 5 days/week, and our Neurology outpatient rotation averages 40-50 hours/week, Mon-Fri. Off service rotations are interspersed throughout the year with psychiatry rotations to allot for adequate PTO requests (cannot be requested during off service rotations) and address wellness. All rotations follow ACGME Duty Hours per their specialty.

Currently, residents are responsible for covering 7 nights/per week and Holidays. Our call schedule is as follows:

• PGY-1: There will be six weeks of an Evening Emergency Psychiatry/Night Float rotation throughout this academic year. During this rotation, residents will arrive to the Emergency Department and work-up Psychiatry patients at 5 pm. They will remain in the Emergency Department working up patients until roughly 11pm. Residents will be required to take call from Marshall Pickens Hospital (adult and child units), Consult service, and admission requests to Marshall, Pickens Hospital from 5pm to 8am the next day. After 11pm, the resident will be free to take call from home at their discretion. PGY-1 residents will also be responsible for covering most holidays. During holidays, the resident will be responsible for rounding at Marshall Pickens Hospital (adult unit only) and seeing new consults (if any) at the main hospital from 8AM – 5PM. At 5PM the person on the Evening Emergency Night float rotation will take call per the typical hours (5PM – 8AM). 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: There will be four weeks of Evening Emergency Psychiatry/Night Float rotation throughout this academic year, and one resident will complete six weeks rather than four weeks (responsibilities 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 accordingly 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.

• 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. At this time, there is no night float during the PGY-3 year.

• PGY-4:  Currently, there are no scheduled overnight call responsibilities during the PGY-4 year. If an emergency situation were to arise, and a PGY 1-3 were not able to conduct their call responsibilities, PGY-4 residents will serve as “Jeopardy Call” to cover for the resident that is absent.