Your Hospital Posts

The department should send you a timetable for induction, a work timetable, your rota and some preparatory homework to do before starting your first day.

For those of you who are part-time or coming back from sick or extended leave, PLEASE make contact with your department/rota-coordinator EARLY (at least 6 weeks before) to make sure any special arrangements required are all in place.

It’s worth trying to make the best impression  you can in the first few days of the post.  Be friendly and show genuine interest in the  job and all your colleagues at every level.  Show a willingness to work hard,  a willingness to listen to instructions and advice.  If you do this, people around you will find it a pleasure to want to help you.  

In the busyness of their hospital jobs, GP trainees often overlook their ePortfolio and their WPBA requirements. As a result, their Educational Supervisor’s Report will be marked “unsatisfactory progress” and then they will be referred to an ARCP panel who will then grill them about their poor engagement. Clearly, none of us want that to happen to you.  So,

• Please make sure you make regular entries toy your learning log and ask your clinical supervisor to read and link them. Keep a notebook or send yourself an email about interesting patients or situations that you’d like to write about as you encounter them on your daily rounds.   Remember, do not include patient identifiable data in your write up.
• And don’t forget to do the minimum number of Work-Place Based Assessments e.g. CBDs, Mini-CEXs, MSFs.   

All the communication skills you need to develop for General Practice are also invaluable for safe and comprehensive practice in your hospital posts.  So, you might as well get practicing now. Most of you will have been taught history taking and examination – BUT THAT IS NOT COMMUNICATION SKILLS.  That is DATA GATHERING and accurate data gathering is required for an accurate diagnosis and management plan. But THE WAY you gather this data is also as important because THE WAY you ask can affect the accuracy of what was conveyed.

We recommend: “The Naked Consultation” by Dr. Liz Moulton.

CEPS e.g. Breast Examination, Rectal, Prostate, Male Genital, Female Genital. So, for example, in your O&G post, consider getting female examinations done. Do the appropriate CEPS in the appropriate specialty.

If you have a problem with the post, for example, the work load, difficulty getting time to go to HDR, someone not treating you right, rota problems, EWTD  etc, please speak to your hospital consultant first to see if things can be easily sorted at a local level.
ALSO talk to your Training Programme Director.  They are there to help you.   And especially get in touch with them if you feel uncomfortable talking with you hospital consultant.  TPDs can make things happen as well as providing a listening ear and support.