We have published a Wellbeing Lead job description and person specification to make it easier for anaesthetic departments to support the health and wellbeing of staff.
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Dr Elliott and Dr Agarwal, our AiT Committee members write about their personal experiences at the end of training and the start of their new consultant roles.
It's been a pleasure working with the Anaesthetists in Training Committee and the Bulletin editorial team, but we will soon be handing over the reins to new representatives as we've moved on to start consultant jobs.
So, for our last training issue of the Bulletin, we thought it would be fitting to write about our personal experiences at the end of training and starting our new roles, along with some insight into how to get through the process smoothly.
Dr Laura Hipple reflects on her great SAS career, the challenges she's overcome and what she has learnt over the last 30 years.
It all started conventionally enough – A-levels, a medical degree, house officer jobs. Nobody in my family was medical, so I had no preconceived ideas about postgraduate career pathways.
During my interview for the regional Obstetrics and Gynaecology training scheme, I was asked how I would combine this career with getting married and having a family. As I wasn’t in a relationship at the time, I didn’t feel this was a major consideration, and fortunately neither did the other members of the interview panel!
However, having completed the training scheme and obtained my MRCOG, my career then took a different path…
I have recently been offered a role as a specialist anaesthetist. This is the final stage of my career pathway. To most, becoming a consultant is the final stage. To those not on the trainee pathway, the goal is to become a specialist.
I have recently been offered a role as a specialist anaesthetist. This is the final stage of my career pathway. To most, becoming a consultant is the final stage. To those not on the trainee pathway, the goal is to become a specialist.
The introduction of the specialist grade in April 2021 has finally given SAS doctors a new genuine career progression opportunity. This contract allows experienced anaesthetists to have a role that recognises the value we bring to our departments. Although this is a very new role, many trusts have created specialist anaesthetist posts that offer a fair and balanced job plan.
I will have started in my new role by the time of publication of this article. The agreed job plan is very different to the role that I currently have. I will be working on a variety of elective, urgent and emergency lists in a range of specialties in a major trauma centre. My employers have been very understanding about my family situation, and have agreed to keep my days fixed and close together so that time away from home is minimised.
The College is currently looking for anaesthetists to take part in the full review of selected chapters from the Guidelines for the Provision of Anaesthetic Services (GPAS) for publication in 2024.
The GMC is recruiting a medical member for its Council.
The College welcomes the introduction of a new specialty doctor and specialist grade contract in England and Wales.
Dr Peacock and Dr Atkinson share their experience of starting on an anaesthetics rotation straight after medical school.
Whenever we introduce ourselves in the team brief, we tend to get the same response: ‘Anaesthetics? As FY1s? That’s unusual!’ They are right, of course, and we feel lucky to be here! Both of us, unsurprisingly, were very nervous about starting our first jobs as doctors in August.
Fortunately, we settled in quickly thanks to being well supported by the anaesthetic consultants, SASs, anaesthetists in training, and operating department practitioners. We thought it would be a great idea to share our unique experience of starting on an anaesthetics rotation straight after medical school.
Whereas many of our FY1 friends describe endless ward rounds, discharge letters and medications, we’ve had a very hands-on first month – lots of cannulas, airway management, iGels, intubations, and even some spinals. We initially found the idea of one-to-one consultant training quite daunting, this being something we hadn’t encountered much at medical school. However, we couldn’t have been more wrong – we’ve had nothing but positive experiences with our seniors, even if we’re taught a different way to tie a knot and secure the airway by each consultant.
Dr Plessis looks at burnout - what causes it, the impact, signs and symptoms and what we can do to mitigate it.
In the operating theatre environment, the perpetual demands, emotional toll, and the need for precision contribute to the potential vulnerability of anaesthetic staff to burnout.
What is burnout?
Burnout, as recognised by the World Health Organization in the International Classification of Diseases, is a syndrome characterised by ‘symptoms’ in three domains:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from the job or feelings of negativity and cynicism related to the job
- reduced professional efficacy.
Burnout is not classified as a ‘health condition’. Instead, it is an occupational phenomenon and due to chronic, unmanaged, workplace stress. People who are burned out are also at high risk of developing mental health conditions, for example depression and generalised anxiety disorder.
The Faculty reviews what it should and could do to support and foster research.
Author: Dr Dhruv Parekh, FICM Board Member and Academic Lead
Research activity is beneficial to patients, enabling earlier diagnosis, effective treatments, and care pathways.
More ‘research-active’ hospitals have lower mortality rates, an effect that isn’t limited to research participants. This benefit extends to healthcare professionals, helping to develop solutions for real NHS problems and increasing job satisfaction.
The pandemic thrust our specialty into the spotlight, and our workforce weren’t only at the forefront of delivering clinical care, but also of recruitment to practice-changing studies. Research leaders from our specialty made impactful contributions to develop this evidence and lead the response.