Preparing physicians for the real world
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* John C. Acres

*   © 2004 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors

I read with interest the article by Christopher Parshuram and associates1 about fellowship training. My question is this: How do you prepare a 60-year-old physician to work 30 hours continuously with no sleep, in a job where he or she is the most responsible referral physician for a population of 130 000, without doing something similar in the residency program? That is the reality of life for older physicians in the area where I work.

**John C. Acres** Cape Breton Regional Hospital Sydney, NS

## Reference

1.  1. Parshuram CS, Dhanani S, Kirsh JA, Cox PN. Fellowship training, workload, fatigue and physical stress: a prospective observational study. CMAJ 2004;170(6):965-70.
    
    [Abstract/FREE Full Text](http://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/ijlink/YTozOntzOjQ6InBhdGgiO3M6MTQ6Ii9sb29rdXAvaWpsaW5rIjtzOjU6InF1ZXJ5IjthOjQ6e3M6ODoibGlua1R5cGUiO3M6NDoiQUJTVCI7czoxMToiam91cm5hbENvZGUiO3M6NDoiY21haiI7czo1OiJyZXNpZCI7czo5OiIxNzAvNi85NjUiO3M6NDoiYXRvbSI7czoyMjoiL2NtYWovMTcxLzcvNzA5LjEuYXRvbSI7fXM6ODoiZnJhZ21lbnQiO3M6MDoiIjt9)