BMJ blogs

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a short woman in possession of fluctuating curves must be in want of heels. (more…)

With the Great Application Race slowing down to a halt, I wonder briefly if I’ll miss the continual compulsive checking of various deanery websites to confirm the closing dates and the battle to keep track of which ones have already been completed - hmm, probably not!! (more…)

I look around at four pairs of bright eyes, eager for knowledge, pens poised, and I gulp with nerves.

In my post as clinical assistant in neurology, one of my sessions includes teaching medical students.
(more…)

I’m starting an appreciation society. Not for the new batch of dedicated, keen consultants now facing the threat of shift-work or even redundancy; not for the put-upon middle grades caught in a ‘Groundhog Day’ time loop over contract negotiations; not even for our medical secretaries, deftly managing the daily barrage from irate patients and moody doctors. (more…)

Week 1 Of the 2008 Great Application Race is Over! No one has any idea who holds the yellow jersey or even if there
really is one to win at all! (more…)

It’s that time of the year again: stroppy diktats from medical staffing about not working one minute past 5pm; developing RSI from scribbling in tiny boxes; and testing the very limits of memory (and probity) in recalling exactly when you had that ‘natural break’ the Friday before last…yes, ’tis the season of monitoring junior doctors’ hours. (more…)

Happy new year all!

Having spent every Christmas or New Year’s Eve since qualifying on call, I was consumed with guilt when I suggested to my supervisors that I was contemplating taking two entire weeks off. (more…)

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a good festive season and is not feeling too bloated with over-indulgence!
(more…)

It’s hard to discuss this year without mentioning Modernising Medical Careers. I was one of the unlucky members of “the lost tribe” that were stung very badly. I’m a clinical research fellow working at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Technically I’ve completed 1 and a half years as a cardiology registrar (LAT), and my intended specialty is cardiology. (more…)

Christmas, a time for giving and receiving, or of course, for night shifts. (more…)