ERcast: Clinical Perspectives Podcast Preview
The summary below is from an episode of ERcast: Clinical Perspectives
Emergency physicians often struggle to take real vacation despite working shift-based schedules. Burnout rises when time off is fragmented or spent catching up before and after the trip, and practical fixes may require rethinking compensation, staffing, and how personal days are built into the calendar.
ED Vacation Time Solutions
- Burnout and real time off: Vacation only helps when it is truly protected; fragmented days off and work that spills into travel time undermine recovery and track with higher burnout.
- Shift work paradox: Emergency medicine shares the shift-work structure seen in other hospital specialties, yet paid time off is often less explicit or harder to use in practice.
- Budget neutral tradeoffs: One proposed fix is exchanging some compensation for scheduled personal days, a financially realistic idea with meaningful cultural and staffing downsides.
- Pre and post vacation load: A common failure mode is pseudo-vacation, where clinicians work extra shifts before leaving and after returning, erasing much of the restorative benefit.
- Shop level policy options: The real question is which scheduling models are both palatable and sustainable across a group, and the practical tradeoffs are worth hearing in the episode.
Subscribe to ERcast: Clinical Perspectives to listen to the episode.
Faculty
- Drew Kalnow, DO
Dr. Drew Kalnow is an emergency medicine physician and educator based in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his emergency medicine training at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency. Dr. Kalnow is passionate about advancing emergency medicine through high-quality education, with a particular focus on simulation, learning theory, and innovative teaching.
- Andy Little, DO
Dr. Andy Little is an emergency medicine physician and educator. He earned his medical degree from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital Emergency Medicine Residency, where he served as Chief Resident. He has received multiple national awards, including recognition from the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, and Emergency Medicine Residents' Association.
- Matthew DeLaney, MD, FACEP, FAAEM
Dr. Matthew DeLaney is an emergency medicine physician and educator based in Birmingham, Alabama. A native of Mobile, he earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama and completed his emergency medicine residency at Maine Medical Center.Dr. DeLaney has experience in both community and academic emergency medicine and is known for his commitment to teaching and medical education. He lives in Birmingham with his wife, Erin, who is also a physician, and their two daughters.
