Shiftwork in Surgery and Impact on Ethical Patient Care

Thursday, October 23, 2025

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Pacific Time

Location: Oregon Ballroom 203

Sean C. Wightman, n/a

Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Megan Applewhite, n/a (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Surgery
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
RA

Ryan Antiel, n/a

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
Baddr Shakhsheer (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor of Surgery
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Abstract: The specifics of call vary across specialty and practice, but surgeons have historically covered their own patients 24/7. In practice, this means that “call” is restricted to new patients arriving to the emergency room. Patients already admitted to surgeon’s personal service, or patients who may come through the emergency room weeks, months, or years after their last outpatient engagement, will still be cared for by “their surgeon,” not a “call surgeon,” regardless of day or time.

Modern medicine is experiencing a shift towards healthcare workers being employed by large for-profit entities, leading to the loss of the “professional” and the rise of the “employee.” The employee wants defined shifts to resist burnout and promote wellness, but does this tradeoff come at the cost of the current surgeon-patient relationship? Is there a change in focus from patient-centered goals of the vocation to surgeon-centered betterment of the job?

Keywords: Surgical Ethics, Shiftwork, Clinical Ethics

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this conference, attendees should be able to:

Upon completion, participants will be able to discuss the benefits of shiftwork on surgeon and health system.
Upon completion, participants will be able to thoughtfully critique the impact of shiftwork on comprehensive patient care.
Upon completion, participants will understand why health systems have made a move to shiftwork over 24/7 patient care.