• L James Nixon, Bradley J Benson, Tyson B Rogers, Brian T Sick, and Wesley J Miller.
• Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Medical School, 420 Delaware St SE, MMC 741, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. nixon007@umn.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Jul 1; 22 (7): 937941937-41.

BackgroundResidents have a major role in teaching students, yet little has been written about the effects of resident work hour restrictions on medical student education.ObjectiveOur objective was to determine the effects of resident work hour restrictions on medical student education.DesignWe compared student responses pre work hour restrictions with those completed post work hour restrictions.ParticipantsStudents on required Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Pediatric clerkships at the University of Minnesota.MeasurementsTwo thousand eight hundred twenty-five student responses on end-of-clerkship surveys.ResultsStudents reported 1.6 more hours per week of teaching by residents (95%CI 0.8-2.6) in the post work hours era. Students' ratings of the overall quality of their teaching on the ward did not change appreciably, 0.05 points' decline on a 5-point scale (P = .05). Like the residents, students worked fewer hours per week (avg. 1.5 hours less, 95%CI 0.4-2.6). There was no change in quality or quantity of attending teaching, students' relationships with their patients, or the overall value of the clerkships.ConclusionsWhereas resident duty hour restrictions at our institution have had minimal effect on students' ratings of the overall teaching quality, they do report being taught more by their residents. This may be a factor of decreased resident fatigue or an increased sense of well-being; but more study is needed to clarify the causes of our observations.

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