It’s been a month on the job as a Foundation Year 1 Doctor. And yet, every time I hear that, I momentarily freeze and look around curiously. “Doctor? Who’s that?” It still takes me a couple of seconds to register and remind myself that yes, I am the doctor, and the person responsible for the tasks at hand. Given the big transitions from A-Levels to university, and then from pre-clinical years to clinical years, I thought I had mentally prepared for myself for one of the biggest leaps of my life; final year medic to Foundation Doctor. Oh boy, how wrong was I! From my 1st day of shadowing to this date, it is still a VERY steep learning curve and there has been a lot of adapting and acclimatising to do. I’m still learning… slowly but surely. I’m not going to lie, sometimes I feel like a secretary; just writing what’s dictated to me, endless discharge letters and TTOs and passing messages between people. Initially, it was a little frustrating but I’ve slowly realised that it’s all part of the learning process and you need to start with baby steps.

This last month as an F1 on urology, while dabbling in general surgery here and there, has taught me a few things I keep trying to remind myself of:

Always ask for help

I’ve always been someone who doesn’t like burdening others with my work and doing things myself even when I’m struggling but I quickly learnt that was not the smartest or the most efficient decision to make. You are part of a team, and the reason there is a team in place is to delegate and share tasks and responsibilities and to have one another’s backs - always. So always let someone know if you are struggling and more often than not, they will be willing to help you. At the same time, I’ve also learnt to keep a lookout for my colleagues and to help in anyway when I notice someone struggling. It doesn’t have to be something big, even the smallest effort like asking them if they need help can go a long way in making them feel each other supported and creates a much better working environment for everyone!

Ask questions when you don’t know something

It’s a new job and there’s a lot we don’t know and are not expected to know when we start. Most often than not, people are willing to teach and show you how to do something when you express your lack of understanding or confidence on the subject matter. Yes, I’ve had a few times when I can feel people get annoyed at me for asking questions, but I prefer that to making mistakes and getting scolded for it. Plus, most seniors really enjoy when you ask questions because it shows them that you’re engaging with what they are doing. And to be very honest, learning opportunities so far have been minimal so really, asking questions and trying to engage actively have been the best way to go for me personally!

Prepare before you call a speciality/ refer for advice

Many experiences of making and taking referrals has taught me that SBAR is a godsend when discussing cases with people who don’t know anything about the patient. Also, it’s really helpful to go over any previous communication documented in the notes, because 99.99% of the time you will be asked questions about it. And trust me, you want to have the answers with you because sometimes getting through once itself takes so long, you don’t want to be told to call back again with the answer. I always try to sit in front of a computer with all investigation results and prescribing open because it makes my life so much easier and faster! I’ve also learnt the hard way that it’s important to be clear about ‘what you’re asking for; what question do you want answered?’, cause if not you’re just going to have a senior who’s very angry that you wasted his time.

Document everything

I know this might sound like a little much, but in the few experiences I’ve had over the last few weeks, I’ve learnt to record all discussions and communications I have with anyone regarding a patient, in patient’s notes and/or on prescribing system. I’m not just saying this in order to protect yourself (which you should always do BTW), but it really helps anyone newly seeing a patient when there is clear documentation as to why something was started/ stopped or decided against and when. One of the biggest difficulties I’ve had while covering Gen Surgery is that I don’t know any of the patients or their management plans, so when reviewing their notes, I can’t find any information as to when or why certain management decisions were taken. It just creates a lot of confusion and makes everyone’s lives harder so document anything and everything!

Be nice to the staff and they will help you

There’s been plenty of occasions where the nursing staff have come to my rescue and helped me when I was struggling purely because I’ve tried to establish a friendly relationship with them. At the same time, I’ve also felt like I was being pushed around or my niceness being taken advantage of so I think it’s about a balance and being assertive in your decisions and standing your ground. I’m still finding that balance, but I’m hoping that with time it will get easier.

Don’t be too hard on yourself

This is so easy to say but very hard to do. I think I’ve gotten better at this as the days have gone by but I’m still getting there. I constantly keep having to remind myself that I am new to this job, I’ve just graduated and I have minimal experience and hence I’m allowed to make small mistakes and not have all the answers to questions thrown at me. I didn’t know what I was doing on placements at medical school initially when I started, but I slowly learnt. And similarly, I will learn and grow, I just need to give myself time and trust in the process.

Conclusion

Everyday has been a challenge, some more challenging than the rest, and yes there’s been times I’ve felt overwhelmed and wanted to cry. However, I have survived and thrived even on the worst of days because of all the support and guidance I’ve received from seniors, colleagues and peers. Plus, the sense of satisfaction and content is like nothing I’ve experienced before. The interactions I have with patients and sometimes even other healthcare professionals bring me so much joy, especially on the most hectic days, and always remind me that I have indeed made the right career choice. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy (I mean who wants easy anyways right?!) but at least I’m having fun and looking back at it all with a smile on my face right?