Policy on Clerkship Duty Hours
The University of Central Florida College of Medicine will follow the duty hour guidelines set by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), ACGME 2011.
- Duty hours are defined as all clinical and academic activities related to the education of the medical student i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties relative to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, time spent in-house during call activities, and scheduled activities, such as didactic sessions, grand rounds and conferences. Duty hours do not include reading and preparation time spent away from the duty site.
- Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of all in-house call activities.
- In-house call must occur no more frequently than every third night.
- Continuous on-site duty, including in-house call, must not exceed 24 consecutive hours. Students may be on site for up to 4 additional hours in order to participate in didactic activities.
- Students must be provided with one day (24 consecutive hours) in seven, free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a four-week period.
- This policy will be published on the College of Medicine website, in the clerkship handbooks, and in the faculty and preceptor handbooks. This information will also be covered in the COM Clerkship Orientation.
Oversight of this policy will be the responsibility of the Clerkship Director and the relevant Clerkship Site Director/s. Faculty and students with concerns regarding possible duty hour violations should report those concerns directly to the Clerkship Director in a timely fashion.