Question 1

What are the ACGME duty hour rules for residents?

Accepted Answer

ACGME duty hour rules set maximum working time limits for resident physicians to protect patient safety and resident well-being. Core requirements include an 80-hour weekly limit averaged over four weeks, a minimum of 10 hours off between shifts, and a 24-hour cap on continuous duty for PGY-2 residents and above. Rules vary by specialty and are updated periodically — for example, 2026 changes require home call to count toward the 80-hour weekly limit. Scheduling Wizard's compliance engine has subspecialty-specific rules built in and enforces them mathematically at schedule generation time.

Question 2

How does Scheduling Wizard guarantee ACGME duty hour compliance?

Accepted Answer

Scheduling Wizard enforces ACGME duty hour rules mathematically during schedule generation — violations are prevented, not detected after the fact. Rather than building a schedule and then checking it for compliance, the proprietary optimization engine treats every duty hour requirement as a hard constraint that cannot be violated. This means the finished schedule delivered to your program is compliant at the moment it is generated, including subspecialty-specific rules relevant to your program.

Question 3

What happens when ACGME duty hour rules change?

Accepted Answer

When ACGME updates its duty hour regulations — such as the upcoming 2026 changes requiring home call to count toward the 80-hour weekly limit — Scheduling Wizard updates its compliance engine accordingly. Because the managed service model means programs are not operating software themselves, rule updates are absorbed by Scheduling Wizard rather than requiring chief residents or coordinators to reconfigure their own system.

Question 4

What ACGME duty hour violations put a program at risk?

Accepted Answer

Common compliance risks include exceeding the 80-hour weekly limit, scheduling residents without sufficient rest between shifts, violations of the 24-hour continuous duty cap, and improper handling of home call under the 2026 rule changes. These violations can trigger ACGME citations, corrective action plans, or in serious cases, threats to program accreditation. Manual schedule-building with spreadsheets makes these violations easy to miss until it is too late.

Question 5

How do subspecialty ACGME duty hour rules differ across programs?

Accepted Answer

While all ACGME-accredited programs share core duty hour requirements, subspecialties have additional or modified rules — for example, surgery programs have specific requirements around trauma call pyramids and back-up call coverage, while pediatrics programs must prepare for the 2026 home call changes. Scheduling Wizard's compliance engine has subspecialty-specific ACGME rules built in, so your schedule reflects the rules that actually apply to your program rather than a one-size-fits-all interpretation.

Question 6

Can Scheduling Wizard work with our existing Amion or QGenda system?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Scheduling Wizard delivers finished, ACGME-compliant schedules as Excel spreadsheets, which programs can upload directly to Amion or QGenda for day-to-day viewing and access. Many current Scheduling Wizard clients use this exact workflow — Scheduling Wizard handles the schedule creation and optimization, while Amion or QGenda serves as the display and communication layer your team is already familiar with.

ACGME Duty Hour Rules Compliance Done For You

Compliance Is Too Easy To Get Wrong

One Violation Risks Accreditation

Rules Change and Vary by Specialty

Chiefs Rebuild Compliance From Scratch

Built Around ACGME Duty Hour Compliance

Duty Hour Rules Enforced Automatically

No Software for Chiefs to Learn

Compliance Knowledge That Persists

Rotation Schedules That Meet Requirements

Call Schedules Within Duty Hour Limits

Frequently Asked Questions

Stop Leaving Compliance to Chance