Resident work hours (duty hours) may vary among residency programs. Please see the appropriate UT Southwestern residency program's website by clicking on Residencies and Fellowships.
To view a Powerpoint presentation by Dr. Lynne Kirk, click here: Resident Duty Hours
UT Southwestern Medical Center Graduate Medical Education Policy on Duty Hours:
- All UT Southwestern Graduate Medical Education programs will:
- Have policies for duty hours that at a minimum meet the ACGME's institutional and program requirements;
- Monitor duty hours of residents to make sure they don't exceed the program's policies;
- Disseminate the duty hour policies to faculty and residents;
- Document the duty hours policies and monitoring at each internal review; and
- Include institutional moonlighting in the work hours limits and monitor external moonlighting to assure it doesn't interfere with education.
- Programs may request exemption to the 80 hour work hour limit by providing the GMEC the following information:
- State the circumstances under which residents may be expected to work more than 80 hours per week, averaged over four weeks.
- State the improvement in educational experience that is anticipated to result from this increase in work hours, include the program requirements supporting this.
- State how the program will monitor resident hours to assure compliance with work hour rules.
- If approved by the GMEC, the program will need to request approval from their RRC.
- In addition to the usual lines of reporting concerns, residents may report concerns about work hours to the University institutional compliance hotline, which is available 24 hours a day and to which reports may be made anonymously.
