What makes a good department? A trainee perspective
As trainees, we rotate often and so we see the good,
the bad and (very rarely) the ugly. We all know
what a good department looks like when we see
it, but we appreciate this model may look different
between different hospitals. With this experience,
trainees are in a unique position to suggest
changes. From a trainee perspective, we want
to be supported in terms of clinical, educational,
wellbeing and morale aspects. However, this cannot
be done without the support and buy-in from
departments to help implement recommendations
and improve the working lives of trainees.
Access to good clinical and educational supervisors to ensure
our training needs are met, and to help with the timely sign-off of
work-based assessments, is important. A department that focuses
much of its educational activity and in-house teaching programme
around examination topics, and support trainees with their exams,
are good models. More importantly, a good department needs
to adequately support trainees who are in difficulty, whether it
relates to examinations or otherwise. Supervisors and departments
also need to help trainees, through mentorship and coaching,
to achieve their future career goals. A good department guides
its juniors in their training aspirations, including how to access
less-than-full-time training, out-of-programme experience, or
fellowships locally or abroad. Additionally, the increasing demand
on trainees to engage in audit, research and quality improvement
needs to be supported with allocated and protected SPA time, to
reduce the risk of burnout.
Most trainees rotate around hospitals frequently, and therefore
must go through the induction process regularly; making this a
seamless process with all the necessary information is paramount. A good anaesthetic department ensures trainees are given rotas in
a timely manner, and departments support leave for educational
and professional activities and provide flexibility with annual leave. They must also guarantee that their trainees are paid the correct
salary on time, and liaise closely with human resources to achieve
this. Anaesthetic departments that fight on behalf of their trainees
to retain adequate and readily available car parking and on call rest
facilities need to be commended.
From a personal point of view, the most important aspect of a good
department is how it welcomes and integrates its trainees. Those
that promote a ‘family’ feel, and place emphasis on the wellbeing
of their trainees and colleagues, are particularly well-regarded.
Good departments are those that put in the effort to get to know
their trainees – whether this is through welcome drinks, regularly
organised social events or even a sit down in the coffee room!
These measures help to promote morale and the welfare of
trainees. They show that departments care, and this is one of the
reasons trainees may request to return to these hospitals. For
an anaesthetic department to function well, it needs to extend
beyond the confines of ‘team anaesthesia’. The hospital itself needs
to promote a work culture and ethos to ensure trainees are well
supported, and trainee wellbeing is an integral part of ‘Trust values’.
As trainees we are not demanding or expecting 5-star on-call
facilities, the newest anaesthetic machines, or the best coffee
machines money can buy. Don’t get me wrong, this would all
be very nice, but would be seen only as an added benefit. From
a trainee perspective the definition of what makes the best
department will vary depending on personal preference; however
we can all reach a consensus that a good anaesthetic department
means one that cares for its trainees.
Sally El-Ghazali
Association of Anaesthetists Trainee Committee Chair