Pamela: Physicians training for a medical specialty serve as resident staff physicians in hospitals  They work such long hours -- up to 36 consecutive hours -- that fatigue impairs their ability to make the best medical decisions during the final portion of their shifts
Quincy: Thousands of physicians now practicing have been trained according to the same regimen, and records show they generally made good medical decisions during their training periods
Because medical reimbursement policies now pay for less recuperation time in hospitals, patients in hospitals are, on the average, more seriously ill during their stays than in the past.