Medical residents are at their limits, surveys show

Quebec medical residents say they too are at the end of their rope — working on average 71 hours a week, with half reporting signs of burnout, two surveys suggest.

This kind of heavy work week has been the case for many years, Christopher Lemieux, president of the Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec, said Tuesday.

The federation calculated the average week by asking members to report their hours worked over four consecutive weeks. More than 2,000 members responded out of 3,600.

On top of long days — often ending at 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. or later — residents must also be available on call as often as two weekends a month, Lemieux said.

The Ministry of Health insists on increasing their total weekly hours, he said, noting that their collective agreement has expired and negotiations have stalled.

While the federation is against an increase, it’s not insisting on reducing the number of hours a week because that could be detrimental to patients. However, Lemieux said he wants more flexibility for residents or “protected time” to study for their many exams.

On the question of burnout, about a quarter of federation members responded to another survey — 947 out of 3,600 residents. Of these, 55 per cent reported signs of burnout and 64.5 per cent said they felt exhausted at the end of their workday at least once a week.

An average medical residency lasts from two to five years and can extend to seven years.

The surveys come after the Ordre des infirmières on Monday said the province’s nursing crisis is so dire that some of its members are reporting themselves because workloads and staffing have left them unable to meet professional standards.

And on Sunday, more than 200 doctors signed an open letter to the Quebec government rejecting salary increases in favour of using the money to fix the health-care system.

Presse Canadienne and Postmedia News