The impact of a 'resident replacement' nurse practitioner on an Academic Pediatric Neurosurgical service.

Introduction: The introduction of 80-hour workweek limitations has challenged resident training programs with creative scheduling while maintaining comprehensive training experiences. The work hour restrictions may be more adaptable to a medical service, but have been very challenging to an academic surgical program. The particular challenges include maximizing academic learning opportunities, operating room experiences and direct bedside patient care while adhering to the 80-hour restriction.