420

For the last four months I've been on my first Foundation Year One (FY1) post - my first job as a recently graduated doctor. 

I've had the privilege of working in Burton Hospital on the General Surgical team. As a member of that team I've been carrying round the bleep (pager) with the number "420". As long as I was covering 'normal jobs' (which means looking after patients on the ward) I was carrying this bleep. It was only during this last week on the job that one of the Senior doctors on the team, who is originally from Pakistan, mentioned to me that my bleep number "420" is synonymous in India for frauds, deceivers and cheaters. I've still trying to get my head around whether I should feel offended that this fact was jokingly shared with me as being appropriate for myself. 

In some ways, I can definitely see how I started off as a bit of a fraud! It felt odd to call myself a doctor, and stranger still to hear other people say it. Moving on to my next role within the same hospital, I guess I will feel a bit like that again. I've learned my surgical job, I know the team and the role. I even got to know some of the 'regulars', who may have ongoing surgical problems and have had more than one admission over my time as a surgical FY1. My next job is going to be another learning curve. It's a different role, team and expectation to meet. It's even a different 'type of patient' to those I encounter on the bright and friendly surgical wards. 

I'm really grateful for the things I've learned on surgery and for the people who have helped me. I've had some senior doctors and nurses who have been exemplary. I've loved interacting with all of the other members of staff. Best of all, my peers (especially the girls!) have made it a lot of fun and have really shared the things they've been learning which has made it all so much easier. It's amazing when you can ask a colleague about something you've never done before that seems tricky and they can clue you in quickly and make it seem totally doable. I've laughed until I've cried (literally) over conversations shared. It's been a fantastic first team! 

Just a Few of the Highlights: 

• Participating in Surgery: Cholecystectomy, Laparotomy, Appendicectomy, Hernia repairs. Learning has been quite "hands on" at times! 
• Good feedback from Seniors - because everyone loves the occasional pat on the head. 
• Learning that when you get bleeped the first question should always be "Are you sure that this is MY patient?" (explanation: we get lots of bleeps as the nurses always have lots of questions and they sometimes don't have a lot of time to work out who it is exactly that they need to get hold of - it can be quite confusing as we carry different bleeps when on-call etc.)
• Knowing that anyone who comes to A&E with "Abdominal Pain" will inevitably become a surgical patient - which makes it easier to anticipate how many there are to see on a night shift. 
• The "mystery meat" in the food left in the fridge in the Doctors' Mess for the on-call teams. 
• Being on the wards for the moment of silence at 11:00 on 11/11/14. 

I'm excited (and nervous) for my new start as a Medical FY1 tomorrow! Wish me luck!