Seven tips for a new job
Algenes Alphius Aranha and Rachel Hooke give survival tips for before you start a new job as a
junior doctor
We have collated action
points for junior doctors to consider before beginning a new
job-either in the same hospital (perhaps a different ward) or a new
NHS trust.
It's the athlete's equivalent of
psychological preparation and mental rehearsal before a race. Leil Lowndes,
a renowned expert in communication, has written extensively on the subject.1 He describes an
athlete who sustained a minor ankle injury a few weeks before an important
race. The athlete did recover and participate, and even though he did not
win he put in a good performance. Lowndes found out later that while
resting when injured, this athlete was mentally rehearsing the entire race
in his mind, which helped him on the big day.
Photofusion picture library/alamy
Although a new job may not feel as intimidating as your
first day at school, there are seven discrete points to note that will get
you mentally prepared even before the job begins.
Visit the ward
Pay an informal visit to the ward and meet the ward
sister and staff nurses and get to know their names. It will amaze you how
much friendship you can garner on the first day at work as you recall their
names. The location of computers, layout of beds, and general design of the
ward combine to create a sense of familiarity when you eventually start.
Hospital geography
Some hospitals are huge in breadth, a few in height,
and almost all are scattered around the region to cater for patients'
convenience when attending clinics. You may not remember every ward's
associated specialty on the visit. However, it will prepare you for that
"longest day"-the first day of work after your
consultant's first ward round-in getting all the jobs done.
Meet the team
Meeting the consultants and registrars is
crucial-find out whom you work for. The medical secretaries will know
when an informal meeting can be arranged. Consultants often have their own
pet peeves and dislikes, which they will let you know soon enough.
Registrars often rely on senior house officers to cover the acutely ill
patients to the best of their ability, while they learn procedures specific
to the specialty or in clinic. Besides, familiar faces on the job are
mutually beneficial.
Contact your predecessor
Contrary to what most junior doctors think,
predecessors are only too happy to introduce you to the ward and let you
know the essentials and ground rules. A handover list containing
patients' names and their investigations and treatments so far is
critical and should be left for you on day one. You might want to remember
to leave one yourself before your successor comes in.
Occupational health
The smartcard system is yet to kick in nationwide in
the United Kingdom. But some hospitals have their own protocols and
idiosyncrasies. For example, a recent trust AAA worked in asked for
hepatitis B surface antigen, despite being only a physician. I'm far
less likely to encounter exposure prone procedures than my surgical,
obstetric, and orthopaedic colleagues. The bottom line is that you must
comply, and it's best to be ready before the job starts.
Outside the hospital
Five things to find within a kilometre or two from the
hospital are a bank, a post office, a railway station, a dry cleaners, and
a 24 hour superstore.
Accommodation
It helps, especially in inner city hospitals,2 to contact your new
accommodation officer days in advance. You might be able to get a room and
get accustomed to it before the job starts. How about filling the
refrigerators with food and getting an internet connection in preparation
for that long first day?
Algenes Alphius Aranha , senior
house officer in elderly medicine,, Leeds General Infirmary
Email: genetica999@yahoo.com
Rachel Hooke , freelance
medical journalist,, Leicester
Email: genetica999@yahoo.com
studentBMJ 2007;15:1-44 January ISSN 0966-6494
- Lowndes L. How to talk to anyone: 92 little tricks for big success in relationships. London: HarperCollins, 1999.
- Hooke R, Trivedi D. Things you're too embarrassed to ask. BMJ Careers 2006;332:97.
|
Responses published this month
|
|
Articles
|
Responses
|
|
CAREERS
Seven tips for a new job
|
Dr Philip Banerjee,
(January 6th, 2007)
Read this response
|
|
|
CAREERS
Seven tips for a new job
Algenes Alphius Aranha and Rachel Hooke (January 2006)
|
|
Dr Philip Banerjee,
(January 6th, 2007)
Senior House Officer, Ophthalmology, Western Eye Hospital, St Mary's NHs Trust, 153-173 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5QH philipbanerjee@hotmail.com
|
|
|
As a third year SHO I have been a "new starter" in 7 different NHS trusts and totally agree with the useful advice offered by the authors of the article.
I would, however, add one further helpful piece of advice to offer "8" rather than "7 tips for a new job".
ID Badges:
NHS policy is to display your ID Badge at all times at work. Some trusts do not have an allocated time to obtain an ID Badge on your induction day and some new starters don't have an induction day on Day 1 if commencing a post outside the 'conventional' months of February and August.
Obtaining an ID badge before if possible (although difficult) or arriving early on Day 1 is hugely beneficial. The ID Badge queue is often the longest at induction, and at other times often has limited hours of service incompatible with clinical work commitments.
Apart from obeying hospital policy, it is essential to have Trust ID to gain access to secure wards and obtain keys out of hours for urgent access to departments (e.g. pharmacy, pathology). Working life can be immensely inconvenient without an ID badge.
|
|
|
