Medical residents are abused more than Chinese factory workers, from KevinMD

Medical residents have fewer labor protections than Chinese factory workers. While labor abuses at Apple’s factories make headlines, few people are as concerned about the lack of protections for doctors and medical students here in the United States. As a resident, I was subject to some of the worst abuses – intentionally misreported time sheets and gender-based discrimination – and after I complained, I was fired, so I sued the hospital and won. Through this experience, I learned that there are very few laws protecting medical residents, and that for all of the regulation pertaining to healthcare itself, there is little effort to protect the medical workers themselves. If medical reform is going to happen now, then there needs to be reform for medical education as well and laws to protect medical residents.

It should surprise no one that there is a lack of outrage about the abuses inherent in the medical residency system. Doctors have job security, earn a hefty salary, and frequently come from more well-to-do families. Furthermore, doctors are frequently criticized for not listening and keeping patients waiting too long. Truth be told, patients who express these complaints are not entirely wrong; however, much of the blame should not be placed on the physician, but rather on our medical system and training. Our current residency system is not designed to produce humane physicians; instead, doctors simply reflect the culture in which they have been educated.

The contrast between labor laws that pertain to medical residents and Chinese factory workers is stark. In 2003, the first regulations (for most states) — as opposed to laws with actual enforcement – went into effect, stating that residents could not work more than 80 hours per week. I began my internship that year and worked up to 160 hours per week, though I only reported 80 hours of my time due to the pressure by hospital administration and fellow residents. That year, a fellow intern, Tony, a compassionate doctor, was killed in a single car accident when he fell asleep at the wheel after working too many consecutive hours without sleep. I too have fallen asleep post-call at the wheel when paused at a stop light, only to be startled awake by blaring horns indicating the light change.

for more... http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/04/medical-residents-abused-chinese-factory-workers.html