Medical residents work average of 71 hours per week

Association has launched campaign to raise awareness

 

More than one-half (54.8 per cent) of medical residents in Quebec are showing signs of burnout, according to a survey from the Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec, a group representing 3,600 medical residents.

“While we suspected this problem existed among our members, these findings raise a red flag,” said Christopher Lemieux, president of the association.

The survey of 947 medical residents also found 64.5 per cent feel exhausted at the end of their work day at least once a week, while 48.8 per cent wake up weary before starting their work day at least once per week.

The association also completed another study with its members to assess the number of hours they worked on a weekly basis. More than 2,000 medical residents responded and it was found they work an average of 70.94 hours per week.

“This means that, during the day, evenings, nights and weekends, our medical residents work virtually two weeks in one, compared with other health system employees’ average regular work week (around 36 hours), all year round, throughout Quebec,” Lemieux said. “Like nurses and other health professionals, medical residents are clearly overloaded… and solutions must be found to this situation.”

The association has launched a campaign called Discount Resident/Available Until Exhaustion to raise awareness on the issue.

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2018 issue of COS.