The night float system of resident on call: what do the nurses think?

In 1989, the internal medicine residency training program at St. John's Episcopal Hospital changed from a standard one-in-four on-call system to a night float system of resident on call. Using a confidential questionnaire that assessed the opinions of medical nurses, the nurses were asked which system they preferred, and how the change to a night float system of resident on call affected medical resident performance. A significant majority of the nurses preferred night float over a standard system of resident on call. Most nurses responded that because night float allows residents to get more rest, residents make fewer mistakes and are easier to work with. Residents on night float were not considered to be more knowledgeable. The responders indicated that night float did not create confusion about which resident to call for a patient problem.