Sleepy Doctors Pose Hazard on the Road
Thursday, January 13th, 2005 at 7:14 pm
Sleepy Doctors Pose Hazard on the Road (Wonder if the same applies to studious, overburdened medical students, or overzealous volunteer EMS workers?) 
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DJ Says:
The whole system is insane.
Qualified professionals should not be making life-or-death decisions while sleep deprived.
Students? Never.
Every argument I’ve heard contrary is of the “This is how you learn” or “It would cost to much to do it any other way” type. Bullshit. It is a system based on hazing and abuse. Certainly students need to learn how to make decisions under stress. Certainly it is a function of the SYSTEM that people need to be sleep deprived. This does not HAVE to be, it just is the way we’ve always done it.
I’m a volunteer in EMS. I work all day, have two kids and a wife, etc. Am I at my best at 0300? NO! Right now, I’m all they’ve got, but there is no way the decisons I make at 0300 are of the same quality as those made at 1000 after a full night’s sleep.
We should all be worried about this phenomenon. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of the people we help.
Gabi Says:
You can bet it applies. Please get enough sleep. It’s also been proven that the brain functions better for learning, when it is rested and not sleep deprived. 
Interesting study! This is why I worried about you doing all those EMS calls. Love, Papa