I survived

By F1doc August 2017

I’ve survived my first 2 weeks as an FY1 including a weekend on ward cover and a 13 hour on take day in A&E. I’ve been shouted at by relatives, humiliated by a radiologist and been on ward rounds that really do last an entire day. But I have also been treated with kindness and understanding, I’ve laughed with nurses and patients, i’ve had lunch at a reasonable time most days and managed to make it to all of my teaching sessions. 

 

Things I have learned in the past 2 weeks:

 

* there is a lot more admin and a lot less medicine than I had imagined.

* nurses are amazing, on my ward they do everything!

* the ward pharmacist is my best friend

* take every single bit of clinical information when speaking to a radiologist!

* if feeling overwhelmed, go for a 5 min walk around the hospital looking busy! (a tip from a previous FY1 which really works.)

* write detailed plans for weekend handovers, because when you are on at the weekend and called to a ward you don’t know to see a patient you have never met - that plan is crucial.

 

The hardest part for me has been working out which decisions I can make on my own and which decisions I have to check with a senior. Which treatments can I start on my own, which ones should I seek advice about?

If a nurse shows me an ECG is it enough for me to read it and say what I think or should I get a senior to double check?

On my ward these decisions aren’t so tough because there is always someone there so we discuss everything, but at the weekend when it is just me, an SHO and a ward reg (who are both equally busy with jobs) It is hard to work out the expectations and limitations of an FY1 role.