Phase 2 and 3 Duty Hour and Clinical Supervision Policies

The duty hour and supervision policies were developed to ensure that the learning environment is optimized to facilitate student learning. All required and elective Phase 2 and 3 courses must adhere to these policies. 

Students should report any violation of these policies to the course director or to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education or Student Support and  record the violation on the end of course evaluation. 

Any retaliatory action against a student who reports infractions is prohibited. Any persons found to be responsible for retaliation will be subject to disciplinary action through the Office of Faculty Affairs (for faculty) or the Office of Graduate Medical Education (for residents/fellows).

Duty Hour Policy

1. Students cannot be scheduled for more than 80 hours of required clinical and educational responsibilities per week, including on-call responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period.
2. Students should have 8 hours off between scheduled clinical responsibilities.
3. Students must have no more than 24 hours of continuous required clinical responsibilities.  Up to 4 additional hours can be used, if needed for a patient’s care or an educational activity.
4. There must be a duty-free period of at least 14 hours after 24 hours of clinical and educational responsibilities. 
5. Students must be provided with a minimum of one day (24 hours) in 7 free from required clinical and educational responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period.

Required educational responsibilities do not include time spent for individual studying or self-directed learning. 

Clinical Supervision Policy

Students on clinical rotations are expected to participate in patient care under the supervision of an attending physician. While students will work with and be supervised by residents and fellows, the ultimate responsibility for supervision is the attending physician. The Curriculum Committee establishes and approves a specified level of responsibility for required clinical encounters and skills in required clinical courses.  Defined levels of responsibility are aligned with the policies governing the clinical settings where students complete their clinical courses.  It is the attending physician’s responsibility to determine when a student is ready to participate in specific aspects of a patient’s care. This decision is based on a student’s demonstrated competence and the objectives for the course. 

Students should report any concerns about the adequacy and availability of supervision during a clinical course to the course director or to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education or Student Support and record the concern on the end of course evaluation.