A method to limit working hours and reduce sleep deprivation in an obstetrics and gynecology residency program.

We adopted a system in which a team of residents works at night and all other residents work during the day. This system allows us to limit resident work time to 75 hours a week. Residents never work more than 24 hours in a 36-hour period, and usually no more than 13 hours in a 24-hour period. All residents have 1 day off each week and at least one weekend in three off. We did not have to obtain additional residents or ancillary personnel, and residents have the same exposure to operative cases as they did under the old system. The system can work with as few as 12 residents. Sleep deprivation is reduced, resident morale is improved, and resident learning, as reflected by in-training examinations, appears to be enhanced.