Westchester Medical Center residents call for time-tracking system reversal
Residents they are unsure who is benefiting from the data they are offering up during the swipe-in process.
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A group of resident doctors at Westchester Medical Center called for the reversal of a time-tracking system that they say is frustrating and pointless.
The union doctors attended the rally in Valhalla during their break on Tuesday.
Resident Dr. Garret Smith said they put the event together to urge the hospital's CEO, Dr. David Lubarsky, to address concerns over a clock-in system that they said they're now being required to use.
"Every day we have to swipe in and show our fingerprint, our biometrics, to prove that we are at work. Apparently, our work itself, our notes, our signing into conferences, is not sufficient," Smith said.
Smith said the process can be time-consuming at times.
"It's just something to divert your attention away from patients to do this superfluous-seeming task and then come back to work," Smith said.
Resident Dr. Zachary Weiss said the system also creates even bigger issues for those working off-site rotations.
"I know residents who live hours away who have to drive in just for the swipe," Weiss said.
Weiss said that makes the process not just tedious—but expensive.
"The price of gas has obviously been an issue in recent months, and additional round-trips are certainly putting significant financial burden on us," Weiss said.
A hospital spokesperson said there is no policy requiring unnecessary travel to record attendance. The spokesperson said residents working offsite can check in at their network location, use phone access, or contact their medical education coordinator.
However, Smith said the group just wants a meeting with hospital leaders to find a better solution.
"We really don't know who is benefiting from the data that we are providing through this swiping," Smith said. "It is kind of, I think, a little crazy that we're out here having to protest in the hot sun because the administration hasn't really communicated with us."
