SAVMA HOD updates duty hours guidelines

Newly revised guidelines recommend fewer duty hours per week for veterinary students completing their clinical rotations to promote better wellbeing.

The Student AVMA (SAVMA) House of Delegates (HOD) approved revisions to its Duty Hour Guidelines during its June 23 meeting, held concurrently with AVMA Convention 2024, June 21-25 in Austin, Texas. The SAVMA Executive Board subsequently voted on the revised guidelines on August 1 along with a corresponding statement.

Per the guidelines, the document suggests students' duty hours be limited to 60 hours a week, averaged over the course of the length of the rotation, inclusive of all on-call activities, mandatory class time, and clinical duties performed at home. Previously, the document recommended students not work more than 80 hours a week, not work more than 24 consecutive hours in continuous on-site duty, and be provided with breaks when they are on call. First introduced in 2011, the guidelines were last updated in 2019.

Megan Gulsby, Student AVMA (SAVMA) wellbeing officer, suggests revisions to its duty-hour guidelines during the June 23 SAVMA House of Delegates (HOD) meeting, held concurrently with AVMA Convention 2024, June 21-25 in Austin, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Taylor French)

While each veterinary school has different needs and limitations, these amendments to the guidelines better address student wellness within clinical training environments, according to Megan Gulsby, the SAVMA wellbeing officer.

"My goal with these amendments is to represent student needs, spark conversation amongst the AAVMC and veterinary school administrations on how to improve scheduling and the structure of clinical year rotations as well as shed light on the need to properly assess clinical year students' wellbeing (…)," Gulsby wrote in a memo.

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges' (AAVMC) Guidelines for Veterinary Intern & Resident Wellbeing, which recommends a limit on duty hours to 60 hours averaged over four weeks, are voluntary for veterinary colleges' intern and resident programs. The AAVMC does not have guidelines for veterinary student duty hours. Gulsby said the AAVMC guidelines played a big role in helping select the duty hour limit for SAVMA.

The SAVMA HOD made additional changes to the guidelines, including the following:

• Defining adequate time for rest as 10 hours free between scheduled duty time, including any duties the student may perform at home.
• Adding that continuous on-site duty should not exceed 16 hours. If continuous duty on-site spans a 24-hour period, a minimum consecutive 14-hour break should be provided between duty shifts.
• Revising the condition that students should have the option to take two 30-minute breaks during a 12-hour shift for appropriate clinical rotations. For eight consecutive hours of work, a break of a minimum of 30 minutes for meals should be provided within the eight-hour period.
• Specifying a 14-hour rest period should be provided prior to the following shift when continuous on-site and on-call clinical duties last for a consecutive 24-hour period.
• Updating the guidelines regarding time allotted for travel to an externship. There should be a maximum of 10 hours of travel per day. Time should be allotted based on the distance of the externship from the veterinary student's residence.
• Including in the guidelines that it is the student's responsibility to track duty hours and alert supervising faculty if duty hour guidelines are exceeded.

"Students recognize that they are integral to the success and daily function of their teaching hospital, but SAVMA believes their work must be balanced by appropriate levels of support staff and faculty to ensure student wellbeing," according to the statement accompanying the guidelines. "SAVMA aims for these guidelines to serve as a reliable backbone in particular for veterinary students on clinical rotations so they can be aware of the standards their national representation recommends with their health and wellbeing in mind."

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