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
The training of physicians should include observation and recognition of the signs indicating a hospitalized patient's progress or decline over a period of at least 36 hours.