The Internship and Residency Chronicles: Sleep is for Wimps?

I started my internship on June 23, 1996. Before the 2002 ACGME hammer came down on residency programs, mandating them to start clocking duty hours and giving off-days. A lot has changed. Today, by graduate medical education law, resident physicians can't work more than 80 hours in one week, they can't work more than 30 hours straight, and they must get at least one day off from clinical duty per every seven. As a matter of fact, as of last month, there are even tighter regulations including new rules that prohibit interns from being on duty longer than 16 hours. Boy, it ain't like it used to be.

For the most part, I think these changes are good. For example, falling asleep at every stop sign on the way home from work is not good, and working twenty four 12-hour ER shifts in a 30-day month--oh yeah, and did I mention the half-days of mandatory clinic on four of your six off-days to boot? Yeah, so to those days, I say good riddance. But just to keep the nostalgia of the ol' baptism by fire days warm and toasty, I decided to include some posts inspired by my life during residency. Stay tuned for some good times. . . . .