Residency Life &amp; Challenges

What If I Can’t Keep Up with My Co-Residents Clinically?

Feeling behind in residency? Practical strategies to address clinical lag, ask for help, avoid unsafe errors, and improve performance among co-residents.

Time-Motion Studies of Interns: Where Your Hours Actually Go

Time-motion studies show interns spend under 20% on direct patient care and much more on documentation and paging. Learn how your hours are used.

The Hidden Rules of Sign-Out: What Seniors Expect of Interns

Improve intern sign-out: learn what seniors expect, deliver concise patient snapshots, frame risks, and build safety nets to protect the night team, quick tips

Panicking About Making a Serious Error on Call: How to Prepare

Preparedness tips for residents to avoid serious errors on call: build guardrails, use bedside scripts, prioritize high-risk scenarios, and call for help early.

Optimizing Commuting Time in Residency for Learning and Recovery

Optimize your residency commute to reclaim 5-10 hours weekly: practical strategies for learning, recovery, and commute-specific study routines.

A Framework for Efficient Family Meetings on Busy Inpatient Days

First Year as an Intern

136 articles

Caught Between Demanding Attendings and Duty Hour Rules: Next Steps

Practical steps for residents facing attendings who pressure them to break duty hours. Learn ACGME rules, documentation, and escalation strategies.

Paging the Senior: A Decision Tree for When and How to Call for Help

Your First 90 Days as an Intern: Month-by-Month Workload Adjustment Plan

Cross-Covering Multiple Services: Building a Mental Map That Works

When Is It Okay to Leave Work as an Intern and Stop ‘Helping Out’?

How to Batch-Process Orders, Notes, and Calls on a Heavy Admit Night

Intern Well-Being Surveys: Which Interventions Show Measurable Benefit?

Is It Normal to Feel Constantly Behind During Intern Year?

Weekend Call Structures: Comparative Outcomes for Different Models

What’s a Reasonable Number of Patients for an Intern to Carry?

Post-Call Days: A 24-Hour Recovery Schedule That Protects Your Next Shift

Night Shift Survival

104 articles

Latest

The Worst Ways to Use Caffeine on Nights (Backed by Sleep Science)

Rotating Through ICU Nights Right After Orientation: Surviving the Steep Curve

Is Night Float Always Worse for Burnout? What Studies on Duty Hours Show

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much on Nights? Safe Limits for Residents

Night Float Mistakes That Quietly Tank Your Evaluation Scores

When Is It Time to Tell Your Program Night Shifts Are Harming Your Health?

Do You Really ‘Adapt’ to Night Shift? What Circadian Data Actually Shows

Night Float as an Introvert or Extrovert: Tailoring Recovery Strategies

If You’re Postpartum or Breastfeeding on Night Shift: Practical Survival Tips

Is It Okay to Work Out on Night Float Days? Timing It So You Don’t Crash

PGY-1 to PGY-3: How Your Night Shift Responsibilities Evolve Each Year

7 Night Shift Handover Errors That Lead to Near Misses

Residency On-Call Survival

125 articles

QTc Prolongation at Midnight: Safe On‑Call Decisions With Psych Meds

On-call guide to QTc prolongation: fast, practical steps to safely manage psych meds (haloperidol, ziprasidone). Check ECG, electrolytes, and thresholds.

Nighttime Atrial Fibrillation Management: Resident‑Level Decision Tree

Nighttime atrial fibrillation guide for residents: a stepwise decision tree to assess stability, choose rate vs rhythm control, and manage RVR safely.

The Evidence on Overnight Decision Fatigue and How to Counter It

Evidence-based strategies to combat overnight decision fatigue for residents: understand sleep loss, circadian effects, and practical nap and caffeine tactics.

How Do You Quickly Review an Unfamiliar Patient Overnight?

Quickly assess unfamiliar overnight patients with a 3-minute chart check, focused nurse handoff, and a 5-minute ABCD bedside exam to spot dangerous changes.

Overnight Lab Ordering Patterns: Data on Overuse and Missed Tests

Analyze overnight lab ordering to cut lab overuse and missed tests - data-driven patterns, high-yield reductions, and practical nighttime lab strategies.

Managing Simultaneous Emergencies on Call: A Prioritization Playbook

Acute Stroke Pages on Call: How to Think Before Neuro Arrives

Managing Multiple Simultaneous RRTs: What to Do When Everything Crashes

Shift Length vs Error Rates on Call: Evidence Residents Should Know

Residency Work Hours

115 articles

Misreading the 24+4 Rule: Calculation Errors Residents Keep Making

Avoid duty-hour violations: learn common mistakes residents make with the 24+4 rule, calculate duty hours correctly, and safeguard patient safety.

Boundary Mistakes with Attendings That Extend Your Workday

Managing ICU Rotations: Workload, Work Hours, and Decision Fatigue

What If I’m Slower Than Co-Residents and Stay Hours Later?

Is It Normal to Feel Exhausted Even Under 80 Hours? What’s Expected

The Microbiology of Fatigue: How Sleep Loss Alters Clinical Judgment

Documentation Pitfalls: How Residents Get Burned in Duty Audits

How Are Residency Work Hours Actually Counted? A Clear Breakdown

Red-Flag Habits That Lead to Chronic Duty Hour Violations

How Work Hour Restrictions Changed Resident Case Volumes by Specialty

Designing Personal Sleep Protocols for Rotating Shift Schedules

Residency Burnout Prevention

124 articles

Latest

What Are My Confidential Options for Getting Help With Burnout?

How Do I Build a Personal Burnout Prevention Plan That I’ll Actually Use?

Can I Negotiate Call or Weekend Adjustments to Protect Against Burnout?

Should I Disclose Past Burnout Episodes When Applying to Fellowships?

Survey Data on Resident Burnout: What Your Program Likely Isn’t Sharing

Burnout Traps PGY-1s Fall Into in the First 90 Days of Residency

If You’re on a Visa and Burning Out: What You Can Realistically Change

I Dread Every Shift: Is It Time to Leave My Program or Push Through?

Resident Burnout Emergency Plan: A 14-Day Stabilization Protocol

Conflict With Co-Residents? A Practical Guide to Burnout-Proof Teams

Stepwise Script for Talking to Your PD About Burnout Without Fear

“Everyone Is Miserable” and Other Residency Burnout Myths Debunked

Survival Tips for Residents

94 articles

I Can’t Finish Notes on Time: When to Worry and What to Change First

Can't finish notes on time? Learn when delayed documentation becomes a performance risk, plus quick, practical EMR and workflow fixes residents can use now.

If You’re Starting on ICU as a Brand-New Intern: Organization Game Plan

Organization game plan for new ICU interns: routines, compact patient lists, timers, note templates, and pre-round tips to stay safe, predictable, and findable.

A Hour-by-Hour Template for Efficient Pre-Rounding on Busy Ward Days

Hour-by-hour pre-rounding template for busy ward days: prioritize sick patients, speed chart review, finish rounds prepared.

What’s the Best Way to Organize My Patient List on Busy Ward Months?

Organize your patient list for busy ward months: practical, reproducible structure, sorting tips, and problem-based plans to prevent errors and speed rounds.