Courtesy towards NHS staff is a must
I had just started as a new medical house officer in an eminent teaching
hospital on the south coast of England, having recently completed my
surgical job. Like all new doctors, I spent the first few days finding
my way around the wards and getting to know the routine. I was booming
with enthusiasm and confidence and was somewhat arrogant. The job
certainly was not easy. A typical day consisted of an endless ward
round, and during on-calls we would be lucky to have a few
minutes to ourselves. On a typical post-take ward round we saw
more than 20 new admissions, and, with an on-call commitment of
one in four, we were always on the
go.
I was initially taken aback by
the enormity of the workload in a new environment, and my initiation
was not made easier by being on call on the first day as well as the
first weekend. Junior doctors can react to such situations in many
ways. My response was to be uncharacteristically arrogant, patronising,
and even occasionally rude, and, as a new face in the hospital, I made
a lot enemies very fast. I was surprised by how quickly most of the
staff, including nurses and medical staff, realised that I was a
potential troublemaker and someone who needed to be watched. This led a
flood of informal complaints to my consultant, so that, within days of
my starting, he summoned me and told me that I was the worst house
officer he had ever had. The combination of workload and friction with
other staff reached such a level that, by the end of my second week,
having worked non-stop for 10 days and done four
on-calls, I was considering resigning. I was exhausted,
frightened, and very bitter, feeling that I had been treated as a
scapegoat.
After a relaxing
weekend, however, I pulled my strength and my wits together and, after
some thought, realised how wrong I had been. The words of my senior
house officer kept echoing in my mind. He had warned me about how
important it was to establish good rapport with the other staff and
thereby get them on my side. I turned up to work on time on the
following Monday and managed to partially redeem myself within a few
weeks. Unfortunately, the damage had been done and, as first
impressions last, even with all my good intentions I could not totally
clear my name.
The most important
lesson I learnt is the fundamental importance of dealing diplomatically
with colleagues. Working in the NHS is demanding and highly stressful
for everyone, and, by being polite and courteous, even if others are
treating you differently, you can make a lot of difference. You then
will realise that you become more efficient, as you can flourish in a
pleasant multidisciplinary environment where all can function, attain
their full potential, and best serve the patients
interests.
And here is something for
senior NHS staff who have to deal with new house officers every six
months. Please realise how much pressure they are under at the start of
their careers; their arrogance and even discourtesy may just be part of
their coping mechanism. It may be better if you gently habituate them
into their new role instead of reacting defensively and ripping them
apart.
Cyrus Abbasian
Email: email
studentBMJ 2003;11:43-86 March ISSN 0966-6494
