One would think so. Med students and residents are extremely goal oriented as a whole, and there is such a stupid, macho, “I can go longer shifts than you can,” not to mention the vulnerable position we were in - piss off the wrong attending, and all those years of work and sacrifice go poof! Not very many were willing to chance that. And as for mistakes, I saw many, and made a couple, but these are largely considered the cost of being in a teaching institution. And, believe it or not, when mistakes are made, the consequences frequently fell on the nurses who didn’t catch it or the senior resident who “allowed” it, but never on the upper levels who created and ran the system. It’s a fucked up system closer to fraternity hazing than academic rigor. It is somewhat better now, there are limits on how many hours can be worked, and protected sleep time is required, but there is still a strong motivator to “go above and beyond” and rack extra, off the books hours. So glad I got out of academic medicine. We still work i safely hard, stressful hours, but I know will go home after hours, sleep a reasonable nights sleep, and not have to deal with fascistic idiots every day. Of course, that is part of the problem. The ones who like that system are the ones who stay and “initiate” the next generation, while those of us who despise it leave and have pretty damn good lives while letting the system continue to eat it’s young, because we are not going back there. No way, no how, not for love nor money.
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