The ABS recommended that the RRC for Surgery make the status of the working environment an important consideration in accreditation of programs, and the RRC has subsequently taken steps to implement this recommendation. The Graduate Medical Education Committee has also considered the resident work environment, and it has developed the following recommendations and proposals. Education of the resident is the primary goal, with exemplary patient care as its cornerstone. Residents should be treated with respect and dignity, and should, in turn, demonstrate personal attributes of honesty, diligence, and responsibility. The impetus for lifelong self-learning must be strong.
Residency training is an educational experience in a complex setting.
Program directors therefore must provide an environment conducive to education, where teaching is expected and teaching skills are enhanced by instruction, precept, and feedback. Residents, especially in the chief or senior years, should be personally responsible for their patients, and this responsibility should not be compromised by the time of the day, day of the week, the number of hours already worked, or on-call schedules. On the other hand, time for personal activities should be provided. Junior residents, to whom fewer responsibilities and more non-educational duties are assigned, should have designated time off. The attending physician has both an ethical and legal responsibility for the overall care of the individual patient and for the supervision of the resident involved in the patient's care.