Over the past seven months my life has drastically changed having gone from a perpetual medical student to junior doctor in the blink of an eye. Looking back on the transition from a more settled position I can see the old adage of “don’t get sick in August” is a true reflection of the fears held by all newly qualified junior doctors. more…

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. more…

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 medicine and thereby developed an identity and self-image as an independent “productive” citizen, it took a while to readjust to the role and expectations of being a student – being herded around and talked down to with depressing regularity. more…

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 in High Mountains.” more…

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. more…

 

 club foot in Africa: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“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 to be perfect to be a preacher? If you are not (and most of us aren’t) does that make you a hypocrite? more…

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, and this brief snapshot alone has demonstrated to me the diversity of the work that goes on behind the scenes of the NHS. more…

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 system lurches from one crisis to the next. However the comment got me thinking about the wider health impact of both the current financial situation, and the recession we seem to be entering.

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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. Although I’ve done some PCT work during my MSc holidays, I definitely got used to not having teaching every day, and I could certainly have done with some flexibility in my schedule recently, as we returned from holiday the other week to both a broken boiler and a small flood. more…

“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 “F number” doctor. Medical training in Brazil includes six years of graduation and, only if you wish to do so, a residency program. It looks quite simple at first glance, but isn’t so simple in practice. I am an aspiring specialist in anaesthesia in my first year of training. And yes, I am a bit tired already (certainly not unusual for junior doctors worldwide). more…