A sweet ending…

Today is the last day for most junior docs in their present 4 month post. Tomorrow I start a new job, in a new hospital, and unfortunately have to wake up at a new/earlier time.

Traditionally and unofficially, the last day of the job is when us docs give the staff and secretaries a gift, usually chocolates, to say thanks for supporting, helping, whingeing, not reporting us to the GMC etc. I’ve just bought a box of Celebrations which will be demolished by the ward staff in approximately 2 hours- and they all say they’re on a diet. yeah right! not when it comes to chocolate or doing exercise.

The last day also means everyone is a bit apathetic and can’t be arsed to really see everyone because we’re not around the next day.

I just have to remember to leave a patient list, give my bleep back, tell security to cancel my car park permit, have farewell (soft) drinks at the local and amble off home.

I have a job…but do I have a career?

Bit of a serious post here.

On Weds, I start a new job, which is 4 months long, then i do another 4 month post to complete my FTSTA1 year. But things were much different a month or two ago. I was pretty much buggered, like a lot of other docs in the NHS, in that I potentially could have been unemployed (again).

I’m not going to go into the details, but a lot of docs in the NHS have been screwed by the government, a crap ‘idea’ called MMC and a crapper website called MTAS. There has been a lot of disillusionment and docs have either left the country or quit altogether. Though I don’t have any ties, i.e. girlfriend, wife, kids, illegitimate kids, animals, I still can’t just leave the country and bugger of to Oz for example. In the past, docs used to be able to go for a year or two and gain great experience and have a laugh too, but now you can’t do that anymore…which is a shame. To get an idea of how pissed of docs are, anyone who is a member of Doctors.net website should check it out.

Anyway, back to me.

So, in a few days time I start a new job. Prior to a month or so ago, I applied for every relevant job to my grade on the NHS jobs website, went to a few interviews, did OK, but didn’t get the job and thought I’d be unemployed. I, as well as many other docs like me, were fortunate enough to have been given temporary extension jobs with the trusts that employed them (me) last year till August. So for 4 months, I have been employed.

Next year, I have to go through the job application system again, but this time I don’t have to use a computer, though I and most docs don’t know how.

So why the pessimistic title. I have a job for the next 8 months, and I’ve been working 3 years in the NHS so far, but I may not have a career, because the job I am in next does not guarantee me any future opportunity to progress. My trouble is, I don’t have a definite speciality I want to do, though I do want to do medicine of some sort.

I think I’m rambling…

I hope this future is brighter. I’ve been a bit lucky so far, as I’ve got two jobs so far without interviews. Thankfully, I’ve been through the interview process. Let’s hope I don’t fuck up the application process this time though.

nhsdr

Where’s the excitement?

ER

Holby City

Casualty

Doctors

St Elsewhere

Chicago Hope

Grey’s Anatomy

Do you know what all these shows have in common?

You’d be correct to say they are medical shows. And also correct to say they are some of the many medical shows that swamp out TV channels. And dare I say it, you’d be correct in saying some of these are highly entertaining…sometimes, but…

…y’know what I think?

I think all these shows are lying to the general public! What lies, you may say?

Well the first being that life in a hospital is always exciting! Well it isn’t. Like an office, there is routine, and routine can be boring. Secondly these programmes, especially Holby Shitty gives the impression that you can get any test or operation done with the click of a finger. Bollocks i say. I’ve been waiting 3 bleeding weeks for a routine inpatient echo at my hospital. Thirdly, the reality of surviving a cardiac arrest in hospital is low, and if it’s out of hospital even lower- basically your buggered! But on Holby, every bugger survives and is speaking after a few minutes. Of course the nurses on Holby are far fitter than on my ward, who mostly look like Jo Brand on a bad day.

Of course I’m biased being a dr.

Currently I am doing a care of the crumblies and i’m bored bored bored. My daily life as a dr only gets more exciting when i’m on-call, but the 4 hour wait bollocks and managers breathing down your neck about breaches tends to sap any enthusiasm away. And the post takes- they can be either educational or mind numbing and hypoglycaemic inducing.

I know there are several NHS based blogs out there, well here is another, which will portray my trial and tribulations of working as a dr for the NHS. More likely, it will be my place to moan, whinge and spew my bile.

Lucky you!

And thus ends my first post, since I last blogged…let’s hope it improves!

nhsdr