Duties of Our Medical Interns and Resident Physicians

Our institution is dedicated to training the next generation of healthcare leaders. Medical Interns and Resident Physicians are vital to both patient care and the academic mission. Beyond the general duties expected of all students, these roles carry specific responsibilities crucial to their development and the smooth operation of our hospital.

Duties of Medical Interns:

As a Medical Intern, you play a hands-on role in patient care and are expected to:

• Punctual Reporting: Report to your assigned duty station on time, strictly following the department/school/hospital schedule.
• Adherence to Regulations: Respect and abide by all rules, policies, and regulations of the College and University Hospital.
• Patient Clerking & Record Keeping: Promptly examine patients upon their arrival in the outpatient department or admission to the ward, maintaining clear and concise medical records.
• Consultation & Management: Consult with the resident or attending physician regarding patient management and ensure that the agreed-upon treatment plans are carried out.
• Investigation Management: Ensure that laboratory and other necessary investigations are ordered, performed, and that results are collected and properly documented.
• Progress Notes: Write periodic progress notes, with frequency determined by the seriousness of the patient's condition.
• Clinical Procedures: Perform or assist in various clinical procedures across different departments, including Regular OPD, Emergency OPD, Wards, Operation Theatres, Labor Wards, Recovery Rooms, ICU/PICU/NICU, Laboratory/Pathology, and Radiology and Imaging Departments, following specific departmental guidelines.
• Discharge Summaries: Write discharge summaries, which must be countersigned by residents or attending physicians.
• Continuous Learning: Continuously update your knowledge through reading and active participation in departmental educational activities such as morning meetings, rounds, mortality conferences, and journal clubs.
• Research Participation: Assist or participate in research activities conducted within the department.
• Duty Assignments & Handoffs: Work assigned night, weekend, and holiday duties as scheduled by the department, ensuring formal and thorough patient handovers to the next intern or resident on duty.
• Team Collaboration: Work closely and harmoniously with all other health professionals involved in direct or indirect patient care.
• Professional and Ethical Conduct: Conduct all activities with the highest degree of professionalism and ethical integrity.
• Report Unethical Practices: Inform the respective unit/department/hospital of any unethical practices observed.

Duties of Resident Physicians:

As a Resident Physician, you take on increased responsibility in patient management, teaching, and leadership, in addition to the duties of a student. Your specific duties include:

• Adherence to Regulations: Respect and comply with all rules, policies, and regulations of the University Hospital.
• Punctual Reporting: Report to your assigned duty station on time according to the department's schedule.
• Prompt Patient Evaluation: Promptly evaluate patients in outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments (including recovery rooms, waiting areas, NICU, OICU, AICU), and wards, recording relevant information immediately.
• Investigation & Treatment Initiation: Institute appropriate investigations and treatment plans.
• Record Keeping: Maintain precise records of the time and date of inpatient admissions, interventions, referrals, consultations, discharges, and formal case handovers.
• Supervisor Consultation: Consult with your supervisor for the management of difficult cases during both regular and duty hours; failure to do so may lead to academic and legal consequences.
• Documentation: Write referral letters, discharge summaries, and birth and death certificates.
• Procedures & Assistance: Perform procedures commensurate with your level of training and assist in other procedures as required.
• Teaching & Supervision: Teach medical and other health sciences students, and supervise interns and junior residents.
• Active Educational Participation: Actively participate in all departmental educational activities, including reading, consulting, morning sessions/meetings, ward rounds, case presentations, journal clubs, seminars, grand rounds, mortality meetings, Tele-med education sessions/video conferences, public lectures, exam sessions, CBE, epidemic and disaster control programs, and community services.
• Clinical Research: Participate in clinical research conducted within the department.
• Quality Initiatives: Participate in clinical audits and other quality improvement initiatives.
• Advancing Responsibilities: Take on more clinical, teaching, and administrative responsibilities as you advance through your residency training.
• Administrative Participation: Participate in the administrative activities of wards, outpatients, service units, and departments in conjunction with hospital/clinical service coordinators, Chief Resident, and Head/Deputy Head/Ward Case Team Leader/OPD Desk Team Leader of clinical departments.
• Duty Assignments & Handovers: Fulfill night, weekend, and holiday duties as assigned by the department as part of your training, ensuring proper handover of cases to the next personnel on duty.
• Professional and Ethical Conduct: Conduct all activities in a professional and ethical manner.
• Emergency Class Coverage: Take over classes with the approval of the head of the academic unit in emergencies (such as sickness or unavoidable staff absence), provided such arrangements do not exceed four weeks and a resident is not given responsibility for more than half of the course time.