Let me begin this post by thanking all the amazing souls who stood by me when I was feeling lonely in the beginning. Thank you so much everyone.
I started my job 2 weeks after I landed in UK as I was waiting for my occupational health clearance and those 2 weeks were really depressing for me. However, once I started my job, I started feeling better. I met new people at work and started learning new things. I realised how much can I progress in this country in terms of career.
My first 4 month rotation is in the busiest department of any hospital- Acute Medicine. I was officially offered a month of paid shadowing from my hospital, but I started clerking patients from day 1 and was working independently in 10 days. All my colleagues till date have been very supportive in teaching me about anything I do not know about the system.
This is my typical day:
1. My day starts at 9 am sharp.
2. Our entire team, including the consultant, participate in the morning handover, that is the night doctors give you a brief about every patient in the ward and let you know about any jobs that are left for the patient.
3. Morning ward round by consultant and clerking new patients that are admitted.
4. Making sure that we do all the jobs for each patient.
5. Since it is an acute medicine ward, new patients keep on coming in and the clerking- doing jobs cycle keeps on going till the end of the day.
6. At 4.30pm, you start making a handover list.
7. 5pm, handover to the evening team.
Here is a list of jobs that junior doctors are expected to do(there may be lot more jobs than listed here):
1. Clerking the patient.( history taking, examination and initiating a treatment plan for the patient)
2. Writing the drug chart. (You can refer to the BNF if you are unsure of the dosage)
3. Requesting scans.
4. Making referrals: email, via phone, talking personally.
5. Taking bloods.( This is done by the phlebotomist in the morning. However, if you need any additional blood through the day, you will have to take them)
6. Cannulating a patient if the nurses are busy or unable to do them.(Once, my consultant inserted the cannula as none of us were able to do it!)
7. Chasing the scans and bloods.
8. Making discharge summaries for patients.
9. Other jobs like talking to the patient's relatives.
My hospital and my department has been very supportive. If interested, we can also attend lectures that are meant for trainees. Overall, it has been an amazing first month in UK.