A new era for resident duty hours in surgery calls for greater emphasis on resident wellness

摘要

In Canada, physicians and surgeons in training have dual roles as learners and care providers. While they have graded responsibility for the provision of patient care, they are also training for independent practice. Over the last several decades and against the backdrop of rapid changes in patient care and surgical practice, there has been ongoing discussion and evolution in the residency education system and in residents' schedules. Historically, residents literally resided within the hospitals in which they provided care and received training. Today's health care and medical education systems are marked by shifts and broader changes in the characteristics of patient care, workflow and scheduling of residents and by an increasing professional diversity in the health care team. While residents of the 21st century do not live in the hospitals in which they work and train, they are nevertheless key members of health care delivery teams in our busiest hospitals, and it is in these hospitals that faculty members and training programs are tasked with ensuring the safe maturation of residents into independent physicians and surgeons.