In keeping with the policies of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the recommendations of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the institutional policy of Temple University Hospital, our Department's policies on resident duty hours are as follows:

1) Resident work hours shall be limited to 80 hours per week, with at least one 24-hour off-duty period per week

2) Shifts are limited to a maximum of 24 consecutive hours, except where additional periods are required for continuity of patient care

3) On-call shifts shall be no more frequent than every third night with residents having a minimum of 10 hours off between shifts.

4) If a resident feels that fatigue is interfering with his/her ability to safely perform his/her duties, that resident should contact the Program Director immediately (Dr. Isaacson). Accommodations will be made to assure patient safety and continuity of care. If the program director is not available, the Department's Deputy Chairperson (Dr Soliman) should be contacted in his/her stead.

Glenn Isaacson, MD
Professor and Chairman
Revised December 2001