25 November 2006

Concern

This is an interesting article on the BBC website. Published yesterday it's calling for more consultants in hospitals. Makes sense I suppose - but the article also highlights the problem with the European Working Time Directive. I reckon that if I went into lectures on Monday morning, and asked my year of medics what they knew about this, none of them would know. Or at least very few.
And don't misunderstand me, I'm not adverse to working less hours, but not at the expense of education. I've given up 4 extra years already just to get where I am now, and I want to be the best doctor I can be,* but how are doctors in 5 years going to compare with 'old school' doctors who had to slog it out and work over 100 hours a week?
I got into this medical school knowing that I was embarking on possibly the most challenging thing in my life, yet I feel I'm going to be inferior at the end of it!
Combine this with DIY medicine (we set our own goals and teach ourselves dontyouknow!) and you have the problem that worries me most about the NHS and my own career development. Maybe I should have done a traditional course rather than an integrated one...
My lecturers tell me there's no difference at the end of the course in the world of work.
Looks like I will have to wait and see.




*Sounds terribly niave and cliched doesn't it!

3 comments:

Phoenix said...

Excellent post Merys. There are 2 or 3 issues here I'd love to see you expand upon.

Whether you do or not, be sure to keep up the good work!

Mat said...

To take a totally bigoted view,

the end result will probably be significantly fewer dead patients.

Come on, stay up for 24 hours then try to do anything, let alone be responsible for someones care, it was frankly dangerous both for the doctors and the patients, and now doctors get 2 foundation years as opposed to 1 prho year (of course f2 is different in form to a prho year but similar).

I'd not worry too much.

The Angry Medic said...

You go girl. This was a good piece.

And no, you really DON'T want to be in a traditional university. Haven't my horror stories warned you off already?

I agree with HospitalPhoenix...you raise some good issues here. Whilst I'm grateful for the extra time off, I recognise that the old school of doctors made it through the school of hard knocks, and the best medical students today drive themselves through that same school. We're gonna have a hard time comparing to the old slog-it-out generation. Particularly if you're as lazy as I am :(