​How are on call shifts structured? How do post-call days work?

Our on call system consists of a day shift from 7:30-17:00 and a night shift from 17:00-7:30. On weekends, handover occurs at 8:00 instead.

In PGY1, call shifts are structured differently by each of the individual services you will be rotating with. When on Obstetrics & Gynecology rotations, call shifts are often 24 hours for both weekdays and weekends. In PGY2 and above, weekday shifts are 24 hours. On weekends, our call shifts are ideally split into both day and night shifts with residents typically working a combination of shifts (eg. Saturday day shift & Sunday night shift), but sometimes 24 h shifts may be scheduled.

Leading up to a call shift on a weekday, you will work a regular day on your scheduled rotation. When your call is complete, you will be post-call and not be expected to attend any academic or clinical activities the following day.

Some rotations, like Gynecologic Oncology, are schedule with home call instead of in-house call shifts. Whether or not you are post call following a home call shift depends on the work completed on call per the PARO guidelines.

 

​Is call graduated across the years of residency?

Call is graduated across the 5 years of residency. Typical call shifts are:

• • • PGY1: 7 shifts / block

    • PGY2: 7 shifts / block

    • PGY3: 7 shift / block

    • PGY4: 6 shifts / block

    • PGY5: 4 shifts / block

    • Chief Resident: 2 shifts / block

 

​What hospitals do we rotate at? Is there funding available for rotations outside of Hamilton?

Within the city of Hamilton, we rotate at 3 of the 4 hospitals: St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University Medical Centre, and the Juravinski Hospital. In the surrounding communities, we have core and selective rotations at Brantford General Hospital, Joseph Brant Hospital, Grand River Hospital, Guelph General Hospital, Niagara Health Services – St Catharine’s, and Humber River Hospital.

 

Funding for certain rotations meeting eligibility criteria (including length of rotation and distance from Hamilton) are eligible for funding through the Mac-CARE program. This includes the option for either travel funding or finding accommodations in the community local to the hospital.

 

​Will I need a car?

While it isn’t formally required, a car is almost essential given the rotations we do in and around Hamilton, as well as the potential to have multiple clinical activities during a work day.

 

​What does a typical day look like?

This depends on the rotation you are on, especially when off service in PGY1. When on Obstetrics & Gynecology rotations, handover is at 7:30 on weekdays and 8:00 on weekends. Teams (eg. those following inpatients under obstetrics, gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, etc) may agree to meet prior to handover to see their patients.

 

If on labour and delivery, the team will then divide up the work for the day (eg. inductions, labouring patients, cesarean sections) and see the postpartum patients. The teams in the OR start their cases at 7:45 and are scheduled until 15:30. There are several clinics to attend both in the hospital and off site whose hours vary depending on the day.

 

​What time off do residents get?

Per PARO, residents are entitled to 20 days of vacation and 7 professional leave days. There is also 1 additional “floating” holiday available to take off.

 

For the following holidays, we follow a weekend call schedule and residents are off unless scheduled to work a call shift. If working a call shift, residents are entitled to a lieu day taken within 90 days of the holiday worked.

• • • Canada Day

    • Civic Holiday

    • Labour Day

    • Thanksgiving

    • Family Day

    • Good Friday

    • Victoria Day

 

Over the Christmas break, residents will work either 5 days over Christmas or 5 days over New Year’s. This schedule is determined on an annual basis.