The restrictions on resident work-hours arguably most impacts the field of surgery.

I understand that fatigue increases the risk of medical errors, but in this excellent post, Jeffrey Parks notes some benefits of being immersed in the hospital. Something is lost as doctors are scuttled out of the hospital when the 81st hour starts.

Dr. Parks notes that “there’s more to being a doctor/surgeon than just learning how to fix a hernia or run a code. There’s a mindset that has to take hold . . . one’s immersion into the totality of hospital life as a trainee leaves a lifelong mark.”

He then draws parallels to other fields: “Imagine the military without basic training. Football without two a days in the July heat. Medical school without the grueling second year of no sunlight and 10 hour library sessions. A lot of guys can throw a nice tight spiral on the practice field, but that’s not what makes a great quarterback. It’s the guy who can make the clutch throws late in the game when he’s exhausted, banged up, and all the pressure is on his shoulders.”

As I’ve mentioned before, I certainly don’t want tired doctors operating on patients. But a vital part of physician training is lost when hours are capped. Lengthening the course of residency by a year or two seems to be the only reasonable compromise.