Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Southern Illinois University School of Medicine Office of Residency Affairs
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Confidential Duty Hour Complaint Form

INSTITUTIONAL POLICY FOR RESIDENT COMPLAINTS
ABOUT DUTY HOUR VIOLATIONS

The Graduate Medical Education Committee, SIU School of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals take the ACGME duty hour requirements seriously and expects that all programs will follow these requirements. If a complaint about duty hour violations is received, the complaint will be handled in the following manner:

  1. The Office of Residency Affairs will not investigate any duty hour complaints made verbally or anonymously. If a written and signed complaint is made, the Office of Residency Affairs will investigate the complaint without revealing the identity of the person(s) making the complaint. It is recognized that confidentiality is limited in programs with small numbers of residents.
  2. The program director will be notified of the complaint without revealing the name of the complainant, unless the person has stated in writing that it is permissible to reveal his or her identity. The Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education will investigate the complaint through contact with the program director, faculty, other residents and other staff as appropriate. Review of resident time cards may also occur. After this investigation, one of the following steps may occur:
    1. Take no further action on the complaint after determining that the program is in compliance with duty hour requirements.
    2. Conclude that the program is not in compliance with the duty hour requirements. The Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education will then work with both the program director and the residents to develop an action plan for compliance in the future.
  3. After the appropriate step is taken, the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education will respond to the complainant informing him/her of actions taken.

Documents and notes related to the complaint will be maintained in separate files from either the resident’s file or the program file.

To formally file a duty hour violation complaint please complete the following form and click SUBMIT:
Approximate timeframe of violation (month and day)
Check the duty hour rule(s) violated below (the following contain the actual duty hour language from the ACGME):
Duty hours must be limited to 80 hours per week, averaged over a four-week period, inclusive of all in-house call activities
Continuous on-site duty, including in-house call, must not exceed 24 consecutive hours. Residents may remain on duty for up to 4 additional hours to participate in didactic activities, transfer care of patients, conduct outpatient clinics, and maintain continuity of medical and surgical care as defined in Specialty and Subspecialty Program Requirements. No new patients, as defined in Specialty and Subspecialty Program Requirements, may be accepted after 24 hours of continuous duty.
Residents must be provided with 1 day in 7 free from all educational and clinical responsibilities, averaged over a 4-week period, inclusive of call. One day is defined as one continuous 24- hour period free from all clinical, educational, and administrative activities.
In-house call must occur no more frequently than every third night,
averaged over a four-week period.
Adequate time for rest and personal activities must be provided. This should consist of a 10 hour time period provided between all daily duty periods and after in-house call.
Other Situation - please specify:
Specify your program and/or the rotation involved:
Please explain the violation/situation that occured:
Please specify the individual(s) involved (Faculty, Staff, Residents, Fellows):
Steps that have been taken to resolve the issue internally prior to filing this complaint:
Name of person submitting complaint (REQUIRED - no anonymous complaints will be accepted or investigated)
"The mission of the SIU School of Medicine is to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health care needs through education, patient care, research, and service to the community."

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