Lindsay Shirreff

Perceptions of a Night Float System of Resident Call Within an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Residency Training Program

OBJECTIVE To determine the attitudes of residents, attending obstetricians, and nursing staff members towards night float resident call, compared with a traditional 24-hour call system. METHODS In June 2012, obstetrics and gynaecology residents at the University of Toronto who had participated in both a night float and a 24-hour call system were asked to complete an electronic survey. Attending obstetricians and nurses in the labour and delivery unit at two tertiary care hospitals with a night float system of resident call completed electronic and paper surveys, respectively. Questions asked respondents to compare the two systems of call with respect to resident morale, fatigue, and continuity of care, and to indicate which system of call they preferred. RESULTS Surveys were completed by 20/24 residents (83%), 24/39 attending obstetricians (62%) and 47/58 nurses (81%). Most residents reported less fatigue (17/20, 85%) and improved continuity of care (15/20, 75%) while doing night float call, but morale was mixed. Overall, 14/20 (70%) residents preferred the night float system. Staff perceptions of resident night float call were mixed in all areas, and most reported no difference in resident morale (17/24, 71%). Nurses found residents were less fatigued (32/47, 68%) and easier to work with (34/47, 72%), and felt that night float call improved continuity of care (37/47, 79%). CONCLUSION Resident attitudes towards night float call are mostly positive. Attitudes of attending obstetricians are mixed, but nurses prefer this system of resident call.

A Return to Training Days Gone By: A Case for a Uniform Report Card System for Gynaecologic Surgery

Copyright a 2017 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada/La Société des obstétriciens et gynécologues du Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Toriented people. Medical College Admission Test scores and grade point averages drive medical school admission. Pre-clerkship marks and clerkship performance scales benchmark medical students, setting them up for the Canadian Resident Matching Service match. Resident trainees are inundated with daily encounter forms, teaching scores, and grades from standardized examinations. Performance at one level dictates where learners land at the next. Even though such a results-driven system is rigorous, it arguably demands excellence and is designed to promote high-level performance.

Development of a Night Float Call Model for Obstetrics and Gynaecology Residency: The Process and Residents' Perceptions

The 2013 pan-Canadian consensus Report on Resident Duty Hours identified that traditional 24-hour duty periods pose risks to the well-being of residents and should be avoided. In anticipation of duty-hour restrictions, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Residency Program at the University of Toronto developed and implemented a night float (NF) call model over a three-year span. Quarterly resident surveys have consistently shown that the NF system is preferred to traditional 24-hour call and has resulted in reduced fatigue and improved continuity of patient care. Through many iterations, the NF model achieved levels of resident morale, surgical experience, and impact on family relationships that are comparable to the 24-hour call system. We review here our process for developing an NF call model and the perceptions and experiences of residents, with the goal of providing insight for other residency programs that are considering or instituting NF call systems.