Policy for Residents During Laboratory Years

The Department of Surgery has historically allowed, and continues to allow, resident physicians currently in research fellowships to pursue part-time employment (moonlighting) as staff physicians in other institutions. Traditionally, this has been limited by approval by individual research mentors and further by a one-day-per-week maximum. To date, this arrangement has been well received by both the Department of Surgery and the resident physicians.

The Department of Surgery complies with the Residency Review Committee standards. As limitations in resident work hours have become paramount, the Department of Surgery has recognized that the research fellows constitute an asset to limit clinical resident work hours, should the need arise. As such, the Department has established, with the assistance of the resident physicians, the following guidelines regarding the employment of research fellows for the purpose of ameliorating clinical resident work hours:

  1. Resident fellows who choose not to pursue part-time employment (moonlight) are exempt from all clinical responsibilities for the Department of Surgery during the course of their research fellowship (though they may volunteer).
  2. Research fellows who choose to pursue part-time employment (moonlighting) may be asked and required by the Department of Surgery to resume clinical activities within the following framework:
    1. If needed by the Department, each individual research fellow will be required to work approximately once per month in a department-sponsored position. Every effort will be made by the Department to ensure that research fellows exceed the once-per month requirement only in dire circumstances. This restriction prevents research fellows from compromising their laboratory/investigational time.
    2. The Department of Surgery, when possible, will allow a two-week period for research fellows to resume clinical responsibilities. During this time, clinical residents may be asked to temporarily increase their clinical work hours to accommodate a shortage. This restriction will allow research fellows to arrange their schedules accordingly, with both their experimental time courses and their part-time employers.
  3. The Department of Surgery will compensate research fellows for their time at a competitive rate, to be determined by the Department.