The End…

'I would certainly strongly recommend that he does not return to his former type of work and the pressures that this involves.'

From Problem to Solution

Yes I was battered and bruised, and no I wasn't capable of fulfilling all the duties of a consultant but despite this I still had a role to play, a way I could contribute to the specialty that I loved, a reason to belong in EM. For the first time in nearly two years I wasn't just a problem, I was a solution.

Women In The NHS – for the W.I.

Last week, Manchester Women’s Institute held a panel discussion on “Women in the NHS” to celebrate the upcoming International Women’s Day on March 8th. The W.I. had some set questions prepared for us all and there were also some extra questions from the audience on the night.

Conjugating Irregular Verbs

These are examples of a bias called Emotive Conjugation, which is the tendency for us to judge our own traits, attitudes and actions more charitably than those of others. We play down our own failings and foibles, coming up with excuses and explanations for them, whilst treating those of others more harshly and as personal flaws in their character.

The Re-Humanising Project: When Patients Care for Us

Working in healthcare can be an emotionally challenging experience. Over the years, for reasons such as self preservation or over familiarity, we can find ourselves losing touch with our humanity. This can lead to a loss of empathy and compassion for our patients and colleagues and difficulty finding joy in our work. A new website …

A Leap of Faith

I’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about this a lot, and as I have reflected I have come up with a list of 5 things that I believe will stand me in good stead in the weeks and years to come.

Rudeness – How to Lose Friends and Harm Patients

We must come to terms with the fact that rudeness is a serious problem and throw out any idea that it is somehow worth putting up with to get the job done. The reality is, not only does it not get the job done, it actually makes the job harder.

A Solution to Problem Solving Problems?

Problem solving is a key part of what we do as doctors: that’s what the diagnostic process is. As seniors it is our responsibility to help teach this skill and train our junior colleagues in it but do we actually understand how our brains solve problems and how that might apply to our clinical practice?

A Bump in the Road

The reason I started writing this blog was to be open about my own struggles with the stresses of working in Emergency Medicine. By writing about my experience of burnout and recovery I hoped to make those who were struggling feel less alone, to help their colleagues understand a little better what they might be going through and to generally reduce the stigma that exists around mental health issues within medicine. To that end it is time for me to be honest again... after just over a year of being back to work, I’ve actually now been out of clinical medicine again for the last ten months.

Five Reasons Male Doctors Should Listen to the FemInEM Podcasts

As a man I really only get to see the world of medicine from a male perspective. Sure I'm a reasonably intelligent, modern man and I occasionally hear comments from my female colleagues but is that enough? Just as 360 degree feedback helps you see yourself better, hearing people with a different viewpoint talk about medicine gives you a more rounded, more realistic picture of our professional culture. Spending a regular half hour listening to women talking about the experience of medicine from their perspective is enlightening...and shocking.