Mass. General Surgery Training on Probation

A surgery training program at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital has been placed on probation by a national accrediting organization because some participants were working too much.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education warned the hospital in April that a number of junior surgeons were working too many hours and were on the job seven days straight, in violation of patient safety rules.
The organization says heavy workloads contribute to mistakes.

The council gave the hospital until Aug. 15 to fix the problem.

Chief of Surgery Dr. Andrew Warshaw tells The Boston Globe that the hospital is now in compliance, and said it is “unfair” that it was placed on probation anyway.

The action carries no penalties, but could influence potential applicants to the program.