Emergency medicine residency faculty scheduling: current practice and recent changes.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess current emergency medicine faculty scheduling practices, preferences, and recent changes.

DESIGN

Mail survey.

PARTICIPANTS

All emergency medicine residency program directors and full-time faculty.

INTERVENTIONS

Questions were asked about current faculty scheduling practices, preferences, and recent changes.

RESULTS

Eighty-five percent (79 of 93) of the programs and 63% (606 of 961) of the full-time faculty responded. Faculty most commonly worked a combination of 8- and 12-hour shifts. Seventy-five percent of full-time faculty stated that they would prefer to work 8-hour shifts. Eighty-three percent of those who work some or all 8-hour shifts preferred 8-hour shifts; 21% of those working 12-hour shifts preferred the same (P < .0005; test of proportions difference, 62%; 95% confidence interval, 55% to 69%). Over the past 5 years, 40% of programs had shortened shift lengths, and the number of night shifts worked per month and/or the number of nights in a row worked per faculty decreased for 34%.

CONCLUSION

Residency faculty prefer and have moved toward working shorter shifts. They are also working fewer night shifts per month and fewer night shifts in a row.