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News
The ACGME has proposed sweeping changes to medical resident scheduling, eliminating the 8-hour rest requirement between shifts and cutting post-call recovery time from 14 to 12 hours — while keeping the 80-hour average workweek intact. The changes, set to take effect July 1, 2028, are sparking fierce debate over resident well-being and patient safety. Critics warn the rollback could worsen fatigue and burnout among an already stretched workforce.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has released a proposal that would significantly loosen scheduling protections for medical residents — potentially the biggest shift since the 80-hour workweek rule was introduced in 2003. The plan eliminates the mandatory 8-hour rest period between shifts, reduces post-24-hour-call recovery time from 14 to 12 hours, and removes limits on in-house call frequency and night-float assignments. The 80-hour average weekly cap would remain. If finalized, the changes take effect July 1, 2028.
ACGME says the goal is to give training programs "greater flexibility" while maintaining educational quality and patient safety — and the proposal would cut Common Program Requirements by 43%. But residents, unions, and physicians are pushing back hard, arguing the changes could deepen fatigue, burnout, and patient safety risks in an already demanding environment.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Residency training shapes the next generation of physicians, and how residents are scheduled directly affects both their health and patient outcomes. Loosening protections without robust safeguards could normalize dangerous levels of exhaustion at a critical stage of medical training.
