Resident Physician Moonlighting Policy

DEPT: MEDICAL EDUCATION

POLICY #: 8240.08

GOAL

To establish guidelines for decisions concerning Resident involvement in Moonlighting. Moonlighting is defined as a professional activity (either reimbursed or non-reimbursed) outside the education program that comprises the residency at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

POLICY

1. Moonlighting must not interfere with the ability of the resident to achieve the educational goals and objectives of the program, and must not interfere with the resident’s fitness for work nor compromise patient safety.

2. Time spent by residents in internal and external moonlighting (as defined in the ACGME Glossary of Terms) must be counted towards the 80-hour maximum weekly limit.

3. Residents may engage in Professional Activities outside the educational Program (moonlighting) only with prior written consent from the Program Director with a copy in the residents file (renewed annually per academic year).

A) The resident must request and obtain a prospective, written statement of permission from the Program Director.

B) The planned location, date, and hours must be detailed in writing.

C) This information must be acknowledged in writing by the Program Director, with a copy placed in the resident’s file.

4. Moonlighting is not permitted for surgical residents.

5. Residents must not be required to engage in moonlighting by the residency program.

6. PGY-1 residents are not permitted to moonlight.

7. All residents engaged in moonlighting must be licensed for unsupervised medical practice in the state where the moonlighting occurs. Enrollment in the residency program alone does not convey such a license.

8. It is the responsibility of the institution hiring the resident to moonlight to determine whether such licensure is in place, whether adequate liability insurance is provided (SBCH liability insurance provided through the residency program does not cover moonlighting), and whether the resident has the appropriate training and skills to carry out assigned moonlighting duties.

9. Moonlighting should never increase a resident’s work hours to more than 80 hours per week or more than 28 hours consecutively.

10. The Program Director is obligated to insure that moonlighting activity does not violate the work hour limitations stated above (#9).

11. The Program Director retains the ability to advise any resident to refrain from moonlighting if the moonlighting activity interferes with the resident’s physical well-being or educational activities/progress.

12. The Program Director must monitor the residents’ performance in the program for the effect of these activities. Adverse effects may lead to withdrawal of permission.

DEFINITIONS

1. Internal Moonlighting: Voluntary, compensated, medically-related work (not related with training requirements) performed within the institution in which the resident is in training or at any of its related participating sites.

2. External Moonlighting: Voluntary, compensated, medically-related work performed outside the institution where the resident is in training or at any of its related participating sites.

COTTAGE HEALTH POLICY

Original Policy Effective Date: 10/2003
Last Review Date: 1/2024
Last Revision Date: 10/2017
Owner Title: Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
Owner Approval Date: 1/2024
Committee Approval: Graduate Medical Education (GMEC)
Committee Approval Dates: 1/2024
VP Approval: CMO/VPMA
VP Approval Date: 1/2024