Poster1 - 03: SURGERY NIGHT FLOAT TEAM: SHOULD MEDICAL STUDENTS HAVE A SPOT ON THE ROSTER?
Madeline Richter, BS1, Natasha Keric, MD2, Ara Feinstein, MD2; 1University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, 2Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix
Introduction: Residency programs increasingly utilize a night float (NF) schedule to accommodate ACGME hour restrictions and reduce resident fatigue. To preserve team cohesion and demonstrate realistic training conditions, many medical schools are also implementing this alternative schedule into clerkship and sub-internship rotations. We hypothesized that a night float trauma and emergency surgery (TESS) sub-internship would be an effective way to educate medical students and prepare them for residency.
Methods: This study surveyed 20 students and graduates after completion of a 4-week NF rotation during a 4th year TESS sub-internship elective completed between April 2014 and November 2017. Questions compared the NF elective to traditional daytime surgery clerkships, and evaluated several factors including: procedural and operative exposure, contact with residents and attending physicians, student autonomy, and the adequacy of preparation for a surgical residency. Open comments were also collected to evaluate the overall opinion of a NF program.
Results: Thirteen participants responded (65%), reporting that NF shifts were equally busy (62.9%), but offered more bedside procedures (84.7%) and one-on-one teaching opportunities with residents (84.7%), when compared to daytime shifts. Six (46.2%) experienced more operative procedures and contact with the attending physician. All participants (100%) reported: increased autonomy in the NF setting; that this elective better prepared them for their surgical residencies; and that they would recommend this type of program to other students considering a career in surgery.
Conclusion: Overall the night float surgical sub-internship was an effective and well-received experience for 4th medical students, with increased autonomy, more frequent procedures, and added resident-led education, when compared to a traditional daytime surgical clerkship/sub-internship. All respondents felt the rotation readied them for residency better than traditional daytime rotations and would recommend it to others interested in surgical careers. This suggests that the night float sub-internship is a valuable learning experience that prepares medical students for residency.