Coming off Interstate-280 in California, I rolled my windows all the way down and blasted a top 40 radio station at 2 a.m. I kept blinking to stop myself from drowsing off. At a red light, a horn jolted me awake. I had briefly dozed off behind the wheel.
I could not accurately count the hours I had been awake that week as a junior otolaryngology (head and neck) surgery resident in 2023. I was driving back and forth to cover calls at the local hospital, working upwards of 90 hours. That was technically in violation of rules limiting residents to 80-hour workweeks, but it was pretty normal for residents in procedural specialties. Luckily, other rules helped ensure that when I worked overtime, I could get rest before returning to the hospital.