Clinical duty hour guidelines for veterinary students are revised in recognition of student wellness

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The recommended duty hours for veterinary students completing their clinical rotations have been decreased in the Student American Veterinary Medical Association’s (SAVMA) “Duty Hour Guidelines.” The change comes as a recognition of the importance of students’ wellbeing.

The document changed its recommended duty hours for veterinary students from no more than 80 hours a week to a limit of 60 hours a week, including all on-call responsibilities, required class time, and any clinical work done at home. Previously, the guidelines suggested students not be on site for more than 24 consecutive hours at a time. The revised document now states continuous onsite duty should not surpass 16 hours.^1,2

“If continuous duty on-site spans a 24 hour period, a minimum consecutive fourteen hour break should be provided between duty shifts. Students may remain on duty for up to 6 additional hours (past 16 hours) to participate in didactic activities, transfer of patients, conduct outpatient clinics, and maintain continuity of medical and surgical care,” reads the newly revised guidelines.²

First established in 2011, the Duty Hour Guidelines had been last updated in 2019. Its most recent revision was approved on June 23, 2024, by the SAVMA House of Delegates HOD, with the executive board also voting on the new guidelines on August 1, 2024.¹ In conjunction with their vote, the SAVMA released a statement in which they spoke about burnout among the medical profession and highlighted related challenges veterinary students may face.³

The Medscape Physician Lifestyle report, which contains insights from more than 13,000 physicians in the United States describing different aspects of their personal and professional lives indicated that physicians who work 71 hours or more are 21% more likely to experience burnout than those who work 31 to 40 hours weekly, according to the SAVMA statement.³ The SAVMA also cited a Merck study that revealed that most veterinarians experience low to medium levels of burnout, with exhaustion being the primary form.³

“As early career individuals in similar teaching environments, veterinary students are not immune to these challenges... Many confounding factors have been reported by students to affect their wellbeing in the clinic, from the inability to consume a decent meal or properly take care of bodily functions, the lack of appropriate rest periods between shifts, the inability to follow through with mental health or other medical appointments due to fear of repercussions, wrote the SAVMA in their statement, citing a rotation stress questionnaire that revealed the primary source of stress for veterinary students are a heavy workload and long working hours.³

Additional revisions to the guidelines include^1,2:

• Adequate time for rest being defined as 10 hours free of duty between scheduled duty time, including duties at home
• Recommending that a minimum break of 30 minutes for meals should be provided within the 8-hour period when students work 8 consecutive hours of work
• Stating that travel time for an externship should not exceed 10 hours per day, with time being allotted based on the distance of the externship from the student’s residence.
• Including that it is the student's responsibility to track their duty hours and notify supervising faculty if the duty hour guidelines are surpassed.

In a memo, Megan Gulsby, SAVMA wellbeing officer, talked about how these amendments to the guidelines more effectively address student wellness in clinical training environments despite the varying needs and constraints of different veterinary schools. She stated that her goal with these amendments is to advocate for student needs, highlight the importance of assessing students' wellbeing, and initiate discussions with veterinary schools and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) about improving scheduling and clinical rotations, according to a news release.¹

References

1. SAVMA HOD updates duty hours guidelines. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. August 5, 2024. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/savma-hod-updates-duty-hours-guidelines
2. SAVMA Duty Hour Guidelines. Student American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/SAVMA-Duty-Hour-Guidelines-240624.pdf
3. SAVMA Statement on Veterinary Student Duty Hours. Student American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed August 5, 2024. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/SAVMA-Statement-on-Veterinary-Student-Duty-Hours-240624.pdf