In the spring of 2020, my former internal medicine program at the Indiana University School of Medicine drafted and instituted a new policy to protect pregnant residents (kudos to Dr. Anthony Wood for drafting it and pushing it through, along with the other chief residents and faculty members who supported this).
I'm sharing this policy here in hopes that others may follow suit.
"Studies suggest that pregnancy complications, such as pre-eclampsia and preterm labor, occur with higher frequency among medical residents and night workers compared with matched controls. The [resident program] makes the health of our residents and their pregnancies a top priority. In support of this value, we provide the following scheduling protections for our pregnant residents:
During the last trimester of pregnancy and for two (2) months postpartum, overnight calls/shifts will not be scheduled, and duty will be limited to fourteen (14) consecutive hours. A good faith effort will be made to accommodate any other health care needs, including scheduling, that may arise during the pregnancy."
References:
1. Cai C, Vandermeer B, Khurana R, et al. The impact of occupational shift work and working hours during pregnancy on health outcomes; a systematic review and meta-analysis.
2. Gabbe SG, Morgan MA, PowerML, Schulkin J, Williams SB. Duty hours and pregnancy outcome among residents in obstetrics and gynecology. Obstet Gynecol. 2003;102(5, pt 1):948-951.
3. Klebanoff MA, Shiono PH, Rhoads GG. Outcomes of pregnancy in a national sample of resident physicians. N Engl J Med. 1990;323(15): 1040-1045.
4. Mozurkewich EL, Luke B, and Wolf FM. Working conditions and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a meta-analysis. Obstet Gynecol. 2000 April;95(4):623-35.
5. Rangel EL, Smink DS, Castillo-Angeles, and Kwakye G. Pregnancy and motherhood during surgical training. JAMA Surgery. July 2018;153(7):644-652