The apprentice model of medical education is ingrained in the traditional lore of medical practice, and heuristics like ‘see one, do one, teach one’ are still commonplace. As with all skills – medical procedures have a learning curve. Some learning curves are longer than others – a hernia repair is not the same in terms […]
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Scribes and scribbles
Poor communication is often at the root of complaints about clinical care (see here and here) Poor communication with patients is concentrated on in a number of spheres of medical education – the CSA exam from the Royal College of General Practitioners is an example where consultation style and communication is assessed as a key […]
It’s not about the form… it’s the human touch
There are several problems which rear their ugly head every few months / years in healthcare and yet seem impossible to crack. In the main they pass by, unnoticed by the great and the good, and not usually causing discernible problems for patients. But, time taken to gather phlebotomy equipment, delays in prescribing ‘TTAs’ and […]
Burnout – its not just the hours.
Burnout is a condition which is all too common amongst junior doctors. The accepted research definition is: ’emotional exhaustion and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment associated with prolonged occupations stress.’ This is probably a familiar state of mind to many junior doctors out there, and many senior doctors – either from their current […]
Welcome
Hi there, my name is Toby Hillman, welcome to the PMJ blog. I’m a Respiratory Physician with a range of interests, and have blogged a bit in the past on a range of issues which interest me, and which I have encountered during my working life as a respiratory trainee in London. Recently I was […]