Lancaster medic begins life as a junior doctor

Wednesday 31-08-2016 - 11:18
Sakib article

Sakib gradated from Lancaster this summer and has just started life as a Junior doctor in Brighton. We wanted to know what life was like for a recently graduated junior doctor so here is Sakib to tell you more...

     So! My name is Sakib Rahman and I started as a Foundation Year 1 (A.K.A Junior) Doctor at Worthing Hospital (down on the south coast) around 3 weeks ago. I am currently living just outside of Brighton in a place called Hove – it’s a beautiful location that’s only a short walk to the town centre, and there seems to be so much to explore here. I’ve barely scratched the surface!

The job has certainly been rewarding, but it’s also been tough going. I know what I signed up for when I started the course 6 years ago, but I suppose it never actually hits home until your first day on the job – it was particularly more daunting when I found out that I started my first shift on-call! It’s been a pretty steep learning curve but so far it’s all going well. The junior staff in the hospital are well supported; if I’ve ever had a query I’m unsure about there’s always been someone more senior that I’ve been able to contact to discuss the concern.

I currently work in geriatrics, which is the department that covers patients over the age of 65. In Worthing it’s not uncommon to see patients who are over the age of 100! Patients at this age tend to have quite a few health problems, which means their management requires careful planning. There are daily occurrences where the benefits of one treatment for a condition has to be weighed against the risk of damaging another system. Additionally, discharging them safely back into the community often involves several other teams, including social workers and district nurses.

Looking towards the future, I hope to specialise in psychiatry. I’ve had the opportunity to do quite a few weeks in placement up in Lancaster and I’ve been able to make the most of that time thanks to Nick Mullin, one of the most enthusiastic coordinators for mental health education you’ll ever meet! I find psychiatry to be a diverse and interesting topic where I believe I’ll be able to make the greatest difference. I’m unsure as to what sub-speciality I’m interested in, but I’m hoping I’ll figure that out somewhere along the way.

I suppose I should probably be getting back to doing some further reading… and enjoying the Brighton coastline!

 

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