Top Tips For New Doctors – Dr Jennifer Cathcart

30 Jun 2020

Our penultimate Top Tips For New Doctors is by Dr Jennifer Cathcart, LAT3 Gastro, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert.

Hello New Foundation Year Doctors

Congratulations on graduating medical school and starting your new jobs. You have made a fantastic career choice and I hope you realise this as you start your jobs. Medicine is both a challenging and rewarding profession.

The transition from student to doctor is both exciting and scary. Just remember you have trained for this but also remember you are not alone in this. Please talk to your colleagues, your seniors and supervisor if struggling. We have all been through it and we can help.

Tips for new FYs

• Prioritisation is key, think about what you can do now and what you can do later. Start doing jobs on the ward round, ordering CXR etc.
• Enjoy your time off and make the most of it, see family.
• There are discounts for NHS workers, look them up.
• You can do a taster week towards the end of FY2 in a specialty of your choice.
• Look up hospital guidelines, they can be helpful for example how to manage hyperkalaemia and ask for help when needed, you are not expected to know it all.
• The Royal Colleges offer events and evening updates to help top up your educational time. It is worth having a look.

I hope you all enjoy your time as foundation doctors.

All the best
Dr Jennifer Cathcart

Find out our final top tips on Thursday 2 July.

Read our previous tips:

• Professor Jackie Taylor
• Dr Catriona Barlow
• Dr Richard Hull
• Dr Gareth May
• Dr Amy Hulse
• Dr Nima Farah

Category: Engagement