The on-call fellow-answering the after-hours call

摘要

By this time of year, most gastroenterology fellows have started taking overnight and weekend calls on their own. Unlike medical residency, call during GI fellowship is usually taken from home once in-house responsibilities have been completed. This presents a unique challenge, because this is usually the first time in which trainees are called to manage patient symptoms and potential medical emergencies without directly examining the patient. Gastroenterology fellows rarely receive training in "telemedicine" or in managing patient symptoms and postprocedural complications over the telephone. The on-call fellow, however, is often delegated the responsibility of answering the majority of patient-initiated questions, complaints, and emergency consultations during after hours