Call Trades and Schedule Requests

Call Trades

Any trade occurring within the next 72 hours or that needs an immediate response outside of business hours should go through the Chief on Call – please page them to discuss.

Call Trade Guidelines

Your schedule for life outside of residency is not always predictable. Trading calls with other residents provides some flexibility. All trades must be approved in advance to ensure they meet work-hours requirements and other guidelines.

Process

Find a Trade

1. Use Amion and reach out to co-residents. The Chiefs can provide tips on identifying trades and help you if you get stuck.
2. Agree on a trade. You may decide to simply swap dates if on the same service, accept a call your partner needs covered, or give your partner an “IOU” for a future call.
3. Check for conflicts. Double-check for work-hours violations. Consider commitments not on the call schedule such as interviews, presentations, and activities scheduled as part of an elective or other rotation. Resolve conflicts before requesting the trade.
   • Clinic: Trades that affect clinic require additional time and approval. See the Continuity Clinic section below.

Submit a Request

1. Request early. Whenever possible, allow 14 days for one or two calls trades and 30 days for group trades. Trades occurring within 72 hours must be requested directly by contacting the Chief on call.
2. Use the trade request form.
3. Note details including clinic approval and rescheduling when applicable
4. Confirm submission. Check your inbox for a confirmation email.

Get Approval

1. Await status updates. The schedulers and Chiefs will review your call trade and either notify you of its final approval or preliminary (conditional) approval.
2. Respond promptly if more information is requested.
3. Receive clinic approval (if applicable). See next section.

Continuity Clinic

• Trades that would affect a scheduled clinic require at least 60 days advanced notice.
• If the trade is otherwise acceptable, the program will grant conditional approval pending approval by the clinic.
• Residents are then responsible for reaching out to their clinic in a timely manner to receive final approval. Confirmation of clinic approval must be sent to ressched@seattlechildrens.org.
• Clinic should be rescheduled within the same week in most cases to meet ACGME requirements for the number of clinics (36 half-day sessions per year) and number of weeks in which at least one clinic is scheduled (26 weeks per year.)

Interns (R1)

• All call trades must follow all work hour restrictions including a minimum of 10 hours off between shifts.
• NICU and Heme/Onc: Calls may be traded only with residents who have already completed that rotation.
• Development: You may not trade into extra weekday (Monday-Friday) calls or back up calls while you are on Development. This is a core (required) rotation. Residents are expected to be present throughout the week.
• ED: Shifts may be traded with residents in our program or other programs.
• Wards: You may trade night shifts, preferably within your paired team and preferably the entire string of nights.

Seniors (R2/R3)

• Jeopardy/Float Calls: You may not take jeopardy or night float call before a call, essential shift, or your clinic or pre-clinic day. (You may be called in overnight.)
• Adolescent/Development: You may not trade into extra weekday (Monday-Friday) calls or back up calls while you are on Adolescent. This is a core (required) rotation. Residents are expected to be present throughout the week.
• Wards: You may request to be off on your Resource day, as long as the other two resource seniors will be present for rounds.
• HMC: Ward/ED or PICU shifts may only be traded with residents who have already completed a rotation at HMC.

Other Trades and Schedule Changes

Block Trades, Elective changes, Vacation changes, Clinic changes (unrelated to a call trade,) and other requests for changes to your published schedule should be submitted directly to ressched@seattlechildrens.org. Include as much information as possible when making these requests. Copy any residents or other contacts, (e.g. clinic manager) involved in the request. The time for responding to these requests will vary based on complexity.

You may wish to speak with a Chief prior to submitting your request. They can answer questions and provide guidance about issues that might prevent or delay approval.

Schedule Requests