Training strain: Why young doctors should work 65 hours per week

There’s a push for young doctors to work up to 65 hours a week for their professional development, even though it could raise the risk of mistakes due to fatigue.

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has made the suggestion to a parliamentary inquiry, which is looking at how many hours trainees should dedicate to clinical practice.

Leading Melbourne surgeon Dr John Cunningham says experience under pressure is critical.

“We need to get them accustomed to also working under pressure,” he told Ross and John.

“That doesn’t mean you work someone to exhaustion but it does mean that people do have to be used to making safe, sensible decisions when they are somewhat lethargic.”

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