My practice recently revamped its provision of short-notice medical appointments by transforming the Emergency Surgery into the (so far so good) Rapid Access Surgery. In essence, patients can now no longer pitch up to the practice between 11 am and 12 noon and definitely see a doctor regardless of their complaint, or lack thereof. […]
Category: Junior doctors
Bruno Rushforth on the roles we play
It’s amazing how quickly one adapts. The first couple of days were a bit of a shock, but I soon accepted my fate and – rather worryingly – began to take on the role of the underling almost willingly. I remember how the same thing happened when I’d started medical school. Having worked prior to […]
Matiram Pun: Mountain medicine – pilgrims, research, and peace
With the world’s media reporting about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the first congress of the Asia-Pacific Society of Mountain Medicine (APSMM) took place in Delhi on 28-30 November. The society was founded a year ago, and the congress was attended by scientists from the region. The theme of the congress was “Life and Living […]
Andrew Hogg on clubfoot in Africa: the video
While working in the orthopaedic department at Ngwelezana I spent a fair amount of time doing the clubfoot clinics. For those unfamiliar with clubfoot treatment, most cases can be corrected very successfully without needing any major foot surgery. […]
Paul Vincent: Practise what you preach
“Judge not, lest you be judged,” so goes the popular Christian refrain. Less known, but equally striking is “Never trust a fat preacher.” Is it ok to judge if you’re a preacher? How can you guide your flock without making the judgement that they need guiding? If you do so judge, do you then have […]
Helen Barratt: The bigger picture
According to the Faculty of Public Health’s careers booklet, the speciality is all about focusing on “the bigger picture.” It describes us as taking action to “promote healthy lifestyles, prevent disease, protect and improve general health, and improve healthcare services.” I’ve been back at the PCT for a couple of months now, after my MSc, […]
Helen Barratt is feeling the pinch
Last week I found myself at a conference on multidisciplinary teamwork in the NHS, and one of the keynote speakers observed that the main benefit of the “credit crunch” is that bankers have overtaken healthcare professionals as the most hated profession in the country. The media is full of stories of doom, as the banking […]
Lucy Dennison on changing her surname
I seem to be at an age when every summer weekend involves a wedding. When it came to my own wedding this summer I had to face the dilemma of whether or not to change my surname. This has been a fairly hot topic amongst my friends, many of whom are doctors, and seems to […]
Helen Barratt: Back to reality
Returning to full-time work after a year of studying has taken some getting used to. I’m slowly adjusting to my Outlook calendar running my life, and learning to survive the two hour meetings which are a regular part of life in public health. Lasting the course until 17:00 on Friday is still a struggle though. […]
Klaus Morales: Can doctors be healthy AND happy?
“Work is central to wellbeing, and certain features correlate highly with happiness.” Tony Delamothe (BMJ 2005;331:1489-1490). Agree. But to what extent? I just got home from a whole day of activities and duties at the hospital and let’s say – a bit of bla bla blas. Yes, I am a junior doctor, but not a […]