Each year our Trust attracts 36 FY1 trainee doctors from across the UK (and all over the world!). Add their different backgrounds, training and cultures into the mix and you’re looking at a group of people who need to bond pretty quickly… particularly if they are to offer support to each other throughout the year.
What’s the point?
Over the past few years, we’ve shaped our off-site Development Day into a bespoke team building session, which actively promotes and challenges the behaviours required of a trainee doctor. This is vital training in a service sector that relies upon the support of your own friends and family.
There is no doubt that the day is a lot of fun, but it does serve a serious purpose as well.
We can guarantee that each FY1 will leave the day knowing a bit more about themselves, about the other FY1s they’re training with and how their behaviour directly impacts upon those around them – including team members, patients, family members, plus your own friends and family.
What’s involved?
We engage Delve OD to host this day, with instructors trained in the thought provoking activities the trainees complete and the psychological issues raised in the process. Our Foundation Programme Administrator will be on-site to use the day as an opportunity to get to know the new FY1s and record the day.
Activities vary from year to year, but a combination of conversational tasks, timed tasks, hypothetical situations, manual construction and team work, provide enough variety to engage each member of the group, whilst challenging them hour by hour.