One of the beautiful aspects of the training program is seeing our medical students and junior doctors come through the system and learning how to fly solo. More recently there has been negative press about bullying and there is certainly no place for this in a training program. When I was in my early teens, I decided I wanted to be a doctor. I was fortunate that my father was a surgeon, and I used to follow him on ward rounds and go into his operating theatre to watch operations during school holidays. It also gave me an inside view on the realities of being a surgeon.

This week i have had a medical student and nursing student in my operating theatre observing surgeries and asking questions about the procedures I do. The process of knowledge and skill acquisition is a slow and steady one which requires application over a prolonged period of time. In surgery, the trainee doctors are given regular feedback on their performance and areas that they need to work on from a knowledge base and from a technical standpoint.

When our trainee doctors finally get their specialist qualification it is a source of achievement for everyone that has been involved. Flying solo is a great feeling of accomplishment. After that the cycle starts again with new junior doctors and medical students. Its a wonderful cycle to be involved in. We get trained and then we train others. 

Be Well

In Health and Wellness