Night float teaching and learning: perceptions of residents and faculty

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Internal Medicine Residency Training

Background:

• Internal medicine residency programs utilize night float systems to adhere to duty hour regulations.
• Night float rotations constitute a significant portion of resident training (7-10 weeks).
• The educational value of night float rotations remains under-assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore resident and faculty perceptions of educational opportunities during internal medicine night float rotations.
• To compare the perceived educational quality of night float versus day rotations.

Main Methods:

• A voluntary, anonymous 25-item survey was administered to internal medicine residents and attending faculty at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.
• A 5-point Likert scale assessed perceptions of education during both day and night rotations.
• Response rate was 52% (85/164).

Main Results:

• Residents rated day rotations more positively than night rotations on 68% of survey items.
• Residents rated 14 of 25 night float items below 3.00, compared to only one item for day rotations.
• Faculty also rated day rotations more highly across all items and rated 13 night float items below 3.00.

Conclusions:

• Current night float systems present significant lost teaching and learning opportunities.
• Modifications to the night float format may be necessary to enhance its educational value for residents.
• Both resident and faculty feedback indicate a disparity in educational quality between day and night rotations.