system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do doctors have such long shifts, when they know most about the perils of sleep deprivation?

My friend often works 30 hour shifts, sometimes with only 3 hour breaks in between. It's easy to imagine doctors messing up under those conditions, and it also isn't healthy for the doctors themselves.
gpt
The standard of shifts was established by a hospital chief medical officer who regularly did cocaine back when that was legal. As such he was able to do extremely long shifts and expected it of his fellow doctors. Since then it has become industry standard and changing it is slow because of cost. Doctors are salaried positions and so working longer than a normal 8 hour work shift does not cost the hospital more money, so they hire as few doctors as possible and work them as long as possible. This practice in reinforced with the fact that there tends to not be enough doctors in all but the largest cities to hire many more.