Opinions of Faculty Members on the Assistant Physicians’ Use of Leave of Absence After Night Shift: A Survey Study

INTRODUCTION: This study was carried out to review the opinions of faculty members on the consequences of assistant physicians’ use of leave of absence after night shift.
METHODS: This single-center,cross-sectional survey study,based on voluntary participation,was conducted with the faculty members of Yüzüncü Yıl University Faculty of Medicine between February-March 2023.The study population consisted of faculty members in surgical and internal medical science departments.Faculty members in basic medical science departments were not included in the study since assistant physicians in basic medical science departments do not work the night shift.The survey consisted of nine items with checkboxes on participants' demographic data and the consequences of assistant physicians’ use of a leave of absence after night shift on the clinic's functioning,medical specialty training,patient turnovers,and relationships inside and outside the clinic
RESULTS: Of the 98 faculty members,46 in surgical medical science departments and 52 in internal medical science departments,participated in the survey between February-March 2023.Of the respondents,76(77.5%) were male,22(22.5%) were female.The mean age of the participants was 42.72±4.9(min.34,max.57) years.Of the 98 faculty members who participated in the survey,84.0% and 79.6% stated that assistant physicians’ use of leave of absence after night shift adversely affected the medical specialty training and the clinic's functioning,respectively.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In general,faculty members expressed the opinion that assistant physicians’ use of leave of absence after night shift negatively affected the medical specialty training,the functioning of the clinic,and the work carried out in collaboration with other clinics.There is a need for more comprehensive studies on assistant physicians’ use of leave of absence after night shift.