Despite concerns over training quality, lawmakers push to cut trainee doctors’ work hours

Despite growing concerns from the medical community about inadequate training, lawmakers are continuing to propose bills aimed at reducing working hours for trainee doctors.

Rep. Park Joo-min of the Democratic Party of Korea, who chairs the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, recently proposed a revision to the Act to Improve the Training Environment and Status of Trainee Doctors. The bill aims to strengthen protections for trainee doctors by clearly defining work hour limits in the main legislation rather than leaving them to subordinate regulations.

Under the amendment, the current maximum weekly working hours of 80 would be reduced to 60, and the limit on consecutive working hours would drop from 36 to 24. While the bill allows for an additional 8 hours per week for educational purposes, it removes a clause that previously allowed up to 40 consecutive working hours in emergency situations.

The bill also seeks to expand the number of trainee doctor representatives in the Trainee Environment Evaluation Committee to ensure they hold a majority. This change is intended to give trainee doctors greater input in decisions about their training conditions and professional status.

Additional provisions include banning blanket wage contracts in trainee doctor training agreements and introducing maternity protections. Female trainee doctors who are pregnant or within a year postpartum would be restricted from night work and prohibited from working on holidays under the Labor Standards Act.

“Excessive working hours and long consecutive shifts not only worsen the training environment but can also impact the quality of care provided to patients,” Rep. Park said. “This bill aims to protect trainee doctors' rights and improve healthcare quality.”

So far, three bills to reduce trainee doctor working hours have been introduced in the 22nd National Assembly. In addition to Rep. Park’s proposal, Reps. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party and Seo Myung-ok of the People Power Party have submitted separate amendments.

Rep. Kim’s bill sets limits at 60 hours per week and 24 consecutive hours, allowing up to 30 hours in emergencies. It also includes measures to improve the quality of training programs.

Rep. Seo’s amendment is more restrictive, aligning trainee doctor hours with the Labor Standards Act by capping work hours at 40 per week, excluding breaks, and permitting up to 24 additional hours for educational purposes. It also mandates that training hospital directors provide legal support in cases involving medical disputes or accidents.

Despite the legislative momentum, the medical community has expressed concern. Experts argue that reducing work hours without extending the total training period could compromise the quality of education.

Park Yong-beom, director of trainee education at the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences and a professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine, wrote in the April issue of the KAMS newsletter that substantial hands-on experience and education are essential for producing specialists. “Training is currently structured around the 80-hour week,” he wrote. “If weekly hours are reduced, extending the total training period should be considered.”