[crooked-v]

For example, the current residency process in the US demands regular 80-100 hours weeks[1] for years, and was designed by a man who was basically high on cocaine 24/7 and expected the same out of all doctors.

[1] It's supposed to be legally limited to 80, but ask around and it's obvious that even that limit isn't properly enforced.

[ptsneves]

Not only in the US, Europe is the same(Portugal and Spain at least). It is absolutely ridiculous to expect life critical care from people who are working those hours. No other critical profession would even dare having those hours(pilots, drivers, etc) yet it is expected that doctors are somehow super humans. I think that is what they want to imply, as well as get boatloads of money on demand due to pay per hour.

[nradov]

The safety impact of long working hours for pilots and drivers is clear but for medical residents it's more complex. Tired doctors do make more mistakes. But in hospital care settings, serious medical errors happen most frequently in transitions of care from one doctor to another. Shorter working shifts mean more transitions.

[rscho]

No, what they imply is 1.that if you're not certified, you're essentially a slave labourer and 2.that long hours are essential to get enough training to become good.

The big problem is that 2 is true.