Obstetrics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Obstetrics, including details on caesarean delivery, child birth, labour.

Medical students self-reported work hours: perception versus reality.

Casey C, Senapati S, White CB, Gruppen LD, Hammoud MM

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the students' actual work hours with their self-reported work hours during the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship, and to determine whether the number of hours worked correlate with the amount of "scut" reported or students' rating of the quality of the clerkship. STUDY DESIGN: Students self-reported work hours were compared against their actual scheduled hours over 2 different academic years. Pearson's correlation was performed to correlate the actual hours with the amount of reported "scut" work and the overall rating of the quality of the clerkship. RESULTS: The actual hours per week worked by students averaged 59 hours in 2003 and 48 hours in 2004. Students overestimated their work hours both years. Students who worked more hours rated the clerkship lower and the quality of the clerkship significantly improved from 2003 to 2004 (4.2 vs 3.8 P < .03). CONCLUSION: The majority of third-year students overestimate their work hours in obstetrics and gynecology. The rating of the overall quality of the clerkship increase significantly with fewer hours worked, and it is not affected by the amount of "scut" work.

Published 1 November 2005 in Am J Obstet Gynecol, 193(5): 1780-4.
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