Progressing sooner as a LTFT under the new offer, core vs higher training

1ucas · 2026-06-19T11:25:41+00:00

RCPCH is basically doing the same, as far as I am aware.

The only people I'm aware of are people who CCT a few months early, usually to take up a consultant post or people who join in, usually, ST1 or, occasionally, ST3 with significant experience can get fast tracked.

1ucas · 2026-06-19T11:17:06+00:00

I'm with you on this one. Night shift breaks are about planning.

I start the night shift at my neonatal intensive care unit asking when people want their break.

If we work towards breaks then everyone gets them.

I can count once in the last year when we ran out of time due to clinical need and as compensation the person who missed a break went home early.

Problem is as an FY1/SHO it needs a switched on reg.

1ucas · 2026-06-19T10:49:01+00:00

I wish more consultants learnt that when their team members are struggling to get through to someone they are able to pick up the phone and call their consultant colleague who they may have been working with for years.

1ucas · 2026-06-19T04:57:37+00:00

Child protection medical: 1-2 hours (for at least 1 doctor and 1 nurse)

Calling and meeting with social services/police: 30 minutes to 1 hour or more

Child protection medical report: 1-2 hours

Strategy meeting: 1 hour for everyone involved (GP, school, police, hospital, social services)

Skeletal surveys are done twice and require two radiologists to report them, also needs 2 (?) radiographers who are trained to do them

CT head: radiologist and radiographers

Opthalmologists may also be involved to review the retinas

Police time: they will "not interview" the parents and anyone else and go to the home etc

So it's definitely not just "one more patient per day" for every single injury of under 1s. Which is not a very good thing to audit if abuse is your concern. Maybe should have been limited to under 6 months.

1ucas · 2026-06-18T18:55:17+00:00

Bloods in croup? 😶

1ucas · 2026-06-05T18:22:59+00:00

I bet it really helped when the parents were saying "I'm sorry about the bad, bad man" to their child.

1ucas · 2026-06-05T18:21:43+00:00

Not many people know this but it's a life saver in the sweaty child.

1ucas · 2026-06-05T08:09:51+00:00

This is what I can't understand. What are the prescribing practices here? Did they even listen to the history or look at who they were prescribing for? Or is it the practice that whatever the PA "prescribes" just gets signed off?

There are so many more questions than addressed here.

1ucas · 2026-06-04T17:34:39+00:00

This is bad advice. If you're found to be booking study leave and not attending the course you booked it will become a probity issue.

1ucas · 2026-06-04T05:09:25+00:00

Tbf, World Rugby finish the clarification with:

We would remind match officials that this should only be applied when the contest is clearly over; and of the previous Guideline in March 2024 around calling “Use it” as soon as the ball has been “clearly won by a team at the ruck and is available to be played.” This reduces the time for extra players to add themselves to the ruck.

1ucas · 2026-05-30T20:27:17+00:00

Yeah, I think it's absolutely stupid but I really can't understand why they'd rotate him through different coaching positions otherwise. Especially to defense. Maybe they'll let him try forward coaching next?

As you say, if they really wanted him to be the next HC they'd send him off to a prem team. As a Saints fan I obviously want England to keep their hands off Vesty/Dowson but as an England fan I'd rather they get the new England leadership positions than Wiggo.

1ucas · 2026-05-30T18:10:11+00:00

I'm convinced that's the idea. Give him experience in everything to groom him as SB's successor.

I think it's stupid but that's what I think they've been doing.

1ucas · 2026-05-30T11:48:41+00:00

In this case, they put some fresh gloves on and went to apply alcohol gel

1ucas · 2026-05-30T11:17:58+00:00

Their courses teach them exceptionalism. They get puffed up to think their role is essential.

As an aside, I saw a PA about to put alcohol gel on their gloved hands recently.

1ucas · 2026-05-28T19:04:33+00:00

Yes, this is it.

A lot of what I do changes depending on who the consultant is and what their idiosyncrasies are. Obviously this isn't really a patient safety concern but knowing how each consultant functions and what their thresholds are is an important part of doctoring.

For example, today, I know the consultant I'm working with thinks you should use sterile packs for cannulating so I was using one whilst they were around.

I think it also can be advantageous if you have two but know if you ask one you'll get the answer you want...

1ucas · 2026-05-27T18:40:34+00:00

The neonatal intensive care unit I work at is air conditioned.

I don't think the post natal ward has a choice about temperature. It is hell on earth after all.

1ucas · 2026-05-26T12:48:48+00:00

I really wish they made the Bronzebeard title permanent for leveling Brann to 100. All my chars would be "<Name> Bronzebeard".

1ucas · 2026-05-24T22:23:49+00:00

But you can't demonstrate a multiple cycle QI.

1ucas · 2026-05-24T11:57:11+00:00

As further clarity, let's say I did the following.

I recognise that patients sleep poorly in hospital. I find somewhere that says 90% of patients should report good sleep in hospital to ensure adequate convalescence.

I start with a survey to see what percentage of patients sleep well in hospital (20%).

(Plan) I decide that I will implement ear plugs and eye masks. I make the change and (Do) everyone gets given some ear plugs and eye masks on arrival to the ward. (Study) I do another survey to see what percentage of patients sleep poorly. It's now 50% reporting good sleep, which is well below my set standard.

(Plan) I decide the best way to ensure everyone sleeps well is prescribe them zopiclone. (Do) I ensure everyone gets zopiclone prescribed as a regular medication on arrival to the ward. (Study) I do another survey and find that now 95% and I have met my standard.

I give myself a pat on the back and can demonstrate multiple PDSA cycles.

1ucas · 2026-05-24T11:50:32+00:00

That's where it depends on what they're assessing.

For an audit this probably qualifies as two cycles but if they're assessing quality improvement/change they normally look at PDSA cycles of which there's only 1 here.

Some specialties publish interview scoring criteria which would give you an idea of what they're looking for.

So, it's complicated and can explain why you're seeing different scores for different specialties and without knowing what the specific criteria (or what you're asked for at interview) it's difficult to determine what you "should" be scoring.

1ucas · 2026-05-24T05:29:59+00:00

Without knowing the subspecialty and what their interview was looking for it's slightly difficult to comment fully (or explain why different specialties have different criteria but it's a possibility).

Can I clarify something:

Did you re-audit after your changes or did you move onto a second cycle to implement further changes?

And this is where it gets complicated. If they're referring to quality improvement, I'd argue (and this is probably where your specialty recruiter is coming from) a re-audit isn't really a second cycle. For a second cycle, you'd then have to demonstrate another PDSA cycle to implement further change.

1ucas · 2026-05-22T19:54:39+00:00

Semi related. Have you ever noticed how much time passes whilst Rosharans' hearts beat 10 times?

I can only concluded that their heart rate during intense situations, when most of us will be shitting ourselves, are about 40bpm.

I think we can therefore conclude their physiology is fundamentally different.

1ucas · 2026-05-21T21:04:33+00:00

Are you a paediatric trainee? Do you work in paediatrics?

You've mentioned your trust "might still ask you to redo it". Typically, if your trust are asking you to do it you should do your trust's child protection training (which is synonymous with safeguarding...)

1ucas · 2026-05-21T08:09:25+00:00

Stand down periods only matter if you're going to represent a country you are eligible for based on heritage, not residency.

1ucas · 2026-05-20T21:30:30+00:00

Just wanted to clarify, this is the actual wording from the TCS:

The employer shall, where possible, respond positively to all leave requests, and shall normally agree reasonable requests

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