10 top tips for junior doctors
Rule No 1. Work hard (very). If you do not, you won’t enjoy it, and then cannot become good at it.
Right. Here is the rest – 10 top tips for junior doctors.
-
Know your patients
This is top tip 2, and overlaps with Rule 1 above. As a foundation doctor, seniors will not expect you to know the ins and outs of their specialty. In fact, they will generally be keen to teach you this.
However, a good foundation doctor (year one and two after qualification) knows the patients on the ward, including their clinical condition, current treatment, investigations (e.g. what are latest U+Es if they have CKD?), social history etc, etc. This makes you look much smarter than the person who can list twenty rare causes of hyponatraemia.
Patients trust you
And will share their private moments with you, when they feel most vulnerable. What they expect and need more than anything is that you listen and try to understand. This really is the greatest privilege of being a doctor.
Introduce yourself
It is easy to forget this when stressed. Whether meeting patients, entering theatre, going onto a new ward where nobody knows you .. introducing yourself clearly is vital for your patients and colleagues. Wear a ‘My Name Is’ badge. Shake hands, its what doctors do.
Do not view older patients as old and boring
Some of them are the most amazing people with incredible life stories that deserve to be listened to.
-
Be organised, have a diary and get to know local IT
Being organised
This may have not been a major priority as a student. It is now. You need a diary, cyber or paper.
Good documentation is essential
Learn to document properly, and if documenting more complex discussions (breaking bad news, complaints) ask a senior how they would like it to documented, particularly if you are documenting for them.
And understand what is required
When being asked by seniors to complete a job, always be sure you understand exactly what they expect from you, how to do it (or where to find out) and when they want it by.
Make friends with local IT
The few hours of pain at the start of your job that it takes to get to grips with your local EPR, PACS, and the other systems you use will make all the difference. There’s no getting away from having to spend some time in front of a screen, but the more efficient you can be, the more time you can spend doing the interesting stuff.
Note. Oh yes. Don’t slag off the (often rubbish) NHS IT to the patients. It’s your job to make it work for them.
-
Prioritisation
The art of prioritisation goes hand in hand with being organised. Unwell patients are always the top priority. You will constantly be asked to do discharge summaries and it often feels they are never ending.
Discharge summaries should be one of your top priorities. If beds are being blocked because one hasn’t been discharged in a timely manner then other people’s care will be compromised.
-
Do not panic
There are times you will be dealing with acutely unwell patients, or be in other similarly stressful situations. Never panic, it won’t help the situation at all. Communicate with your seniors if you feel out of your depth. They will be expecting you to do this, so do not hesitate. If you continue to try and deal with a situation outside of your competency level, your seniors will not appreciate it when they find out later.
-
Never stop learning
Learning does not stop at the end of medical school, in fact, it only just begins! Most medical students say they learnt more in their first four months as an F1 than in their entire medical training.
Take an interest in each rotation, and use the opportunity to learn as much about the specialty as possible; even if you are not interested in pursuing it in the future. Lessons learned may be useful for future rotations.
Note. Often the best way to learn is to teach. Why not volunteer to teach some medical students? Remember the word ‘Doctor’ is Latin for ‘teacher’ not ‘clinician’. If you don’t teach, are you a doctor? Really?
-
Admit to your mistakes
We all make mistakes, it is inevitable. And sometimes patients are harmed. Be honest and own up to any mistakes, NEVER try and cover anything up. Say sorry. Tell the truth at all times.
You will be forgiven if you work hard, show that you are caring (good note keeping will help), own up, and say sorry”
-
If in doubt ask
It is much better to take a few seconds to clarify things before you start a task than to waste time doing it incorrectly. Everyone was new once. Nurses are a great source of clinical information and ward clerks are the fountain of all knowledge when it comes to anything administrative. Don’t be late. In fact it impresses the senior doctors if you are there before them.
It’s not a competition.
-
Smile, be polite, and be nice to the nurses and AHPs, and all
Simple, but this gets you a surprisingly long way, especially when asking people for favours! If you are not nice to the nurses, they can make your life hell. Tell the odd joke.
-
Protected teaching time
You will get protected teaching time once or twice a week, so you can attend the teaching – make sure you go.
-
Book your holidays (and study leave) ahead .. and enjoy your work, and enjoy your leave
We all need holiday to relax with our loved ones and unwind. Book yours long ahead. You need to be organised. Medicine is an exciting and rewarding career; you’ve worked hard to get here so enjoy everything the job has to offer.
You will also have a study leave allowance and some of costs will be paid. Find out. Take it. No one will organise it for you.
Oh yes
Wear comfortable shoes
Being a junior doctor can involve being on your feet a lot of the time. Having good comfortable shoes really pays off.
Be professional and don’t overshare
Don’t talk loudly about how drunk you were on a night out while standing at the nurses’ station (everyone will hear you). You deserve to let your hair down as much as the next person. But your patient needs to see you as a professional, not imagine you staggering along the street. Also remember not to discuss patient details when you go home.
Social media
Do not discuss patients, details of your day, or slag off your colleagues or employer. Full stop. It is unethical, shows lack of loyalty to the team, and will get you into big trouble.
Summary
We have described 10 top tips for junior doctors. We hope you have found it helpful.
