Policy Statement
Foundations Phase Curriculum
Students should spend no more than 60 total hours per week on academic activities. The 60 hours includes in-class activities, out-of-class preparation, laboratory/anatomy, clinical skills training, and required clinical duties in the Colleges and primary care settings.
Clinical Phase Curriculum
Students cannot work more than 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period.
Requirements, Procedures and Guidelines
The goals of medical students and the faculty of the UWSOM are one and the same: to get the best medical education possible while not ignoring overall health and happiness. Attention needs to be paid to both work/duty hours and personal time. Work hour rules have been developed for residents, but similar rules have not been developed for medical students. There are obvious differences in terms of goals, reimbursement, and responsibilities between residents and students. Nonetheless, some guidelines for students are provided here.
Hours are not specifically logged unless the student feels it necessary because of a potential violation. If a student is working close to the 80-hour limit, they should document their hours for the week in question and present them to their site director as soon as possible for modification. Students should also document any violation of the 24-hour policy for overnight call. Further concerns should be brought to the attention of the clerkship director. Students will never be discriminated against for following the work hour policy.
Policy:
- Maximum Hours per week. Students cannot work more than 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period.
- Mandatory Time Off Between Shifts. Students must have at least 8 hours off between scheduled clinical work and education periods. There must be at least 14 hours free of clinical work
- Minimum Time Off During the Month. Students must have at least one day free from clinical work and education every week, averaged over four weeks. This means they should have four days off in a four-week period.
- Maximum Shift Length. Shifts can be up to 24 hours, with an additional 4 hours permitted for transitions in care (handoffs), but no new patients should be accepted during these additional 4 hours.
- In House Call Frequency. In house-call cannot occur more frequently than every third night, averaged over a four-week period.
- No matter how many hours you have worked, always check out with the team before leaving for the day.
Find helpful information for clerkship policies here.
Effective: Current
Last updated: August 11, 2020, September 16, 2024 (Patient Care Committee), October 28, 2024 (Explore and Focus Committee)
Policy Contact: UW School of Medicine, Curriculum Office, somgov@uw.edu; Education Quality Improvement Office, eqi@uw.edu