Residents help cover several hospitals overnight, including UW Medicine Montlake (UWMC-ML), UW Medicine Northwest (UWMC-NW), Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH), and Harborview Medical Center (HMC). Following each weekend worked (days or nights), a post-call day off is provided. PGY-2 residents are not included in the call pool.
PGY-3 residents are responsible for call coverage at UWMC-ML, with weekday night float (Mondays - Fridays; 7:00pm - 7:00am) and backup (Mondays - Fridays; 5:00pm - 11:30pm). The backup resident also provides remote coverage for UWMC-NW during those backup hours. PGY-3 residents also cover weekend days and nights at UWMC-ML. A few PGY-3 residents also help cover HMC night float shifts in the spring during protected board prep time for the PGY-4 residents.
PGY-4 and PGY-5 residents together are responsible for call coverage at HMC, our level I trauma center, with weekday night float (Mondays - Fridays; 8:00pm - 7:30am), typically on shift with a co-resident partner overnight, and backup (Sundays - Thursdays; 5:00pm - 11:30pm). PGY-4 residents also cover weekend days and nights at HMC. The call experience at HMC is unique in that the reading room is situated within the emergency room, only several feet from the CT scanners as well as the trauma bays. This allows for quick and frequent communication with clinical providers and is one of the highlights of our call experience.
PGY-5 residents are assigned backup HMC weekends, when they may be called to assist the dedicated weekend resident if they are especially busy. The weekend backup resident has the option of reading from home.
PGY-3, PGY-4, and PGY-5 residents are assigned approximately two to four weeks total of backup weekday shifts at SCH (5:00pm - 11:00pm). This is a wonderful opportunity to see high-yield cases coming through the pediatric emergency department.
Our residents serve as the primary radiology consultant on call, signing preliminary reports for the entire hospital with substantial autonomy, while also having the security of faculty supervision and assistance whenever it is needed.
