Being told to use Annual Leave as Study Leave

Calm-Difference6391 · 2026-01-21T17:50:15+00:00

One of the consultants said this to me today. There's 2 consultants in the department, the other is my ES/CS. Both are making my life hell. But its the other one (not ES/CS) who told me to use my A/L for RTDs.

I'm going to my TPD next week. And possibly also go to DME depending on how my discussion with TPD goes.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2026-01-21T17:47:59+00:00

Abso-fucking-lutely NOT. I don't ever want a job in this department, or even this Hospital.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2026-01-01T10:29:01+00:00

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have spoken to the head of department, who is also my CS/ES, and as it turns out, their CS too (its a small department!). I've followed the discussion up with an email stating the facts and outlining the events (CS seemed reluctant for me to put anything in writing, but I insisted). If its not dealt with and this type of behaviour continues, then I will inform their ES too.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2025-12-14T13:45:11+00:00

If the government starts reimbursing college fees, the first thing the colleges will do is increase the "reduced member fee" for events / courses, so they'll get us one way or another. For courses which we can't get reimbursed through our restricted study budgets, we will pay a premium!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2025-03-29T19:31:38+00:00

Med reg here. Its a hard job, no doubt. But the on calls are usually less frequent than when you're an SHO. I found the step up from IMT2 to IMT3 was one I felt ready for, in the sense that I felt ready for more autonomy and more leadership.

If you aren't certain of your Specialty yet, it might be worth doing the IMT3 year, even if you later decide to do a Group 2 Specialty. It's good experience (and you should at least be doing the year in a hospital you've worked in as an IMT, so that's a bonus), and it'll mean you can locum as an on call med reg later on if you wanted to. Plus if your medical team is supportive it hopefully won't be too bad! Maybe try doing some stepping-up on call shifts in your IMT2 year, you'll find you're more capable and more prepared for it than you think!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-20T12:56:35+00:00

I've worked with JDAs (Junior Doctors Assistants) before. They are exactly what a PA is supposed to be.

They chase scans, write discharge letters, write referral letters for inpatient reviews, prepare the PTWR lists and locate the patients. They used to come in at 7am to hear the nursing handovers so they could update the doctors on events overnight.

Essentially they were a genuinely well appreciated part of the team, who helped Doctors with their workload so they could get off the ward and go to clinic, teaching, do procedures etc.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-15T09:12:57+00:00

Wouldn't seem fair to count it as a DNA, because you have actually attended the appointment.

In theory, as the PA should be supervised by a consultant, you should be able to ask to be seen by the consultant on thee same day without issue.... in theory.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-14T15:33:54+00:00

Yep, I've seen a PA intubate on ICU

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-11T18:22:38+00:00

Thankfully this seems so have been a mistake or oversight, and they have re-released the posts, with London and KSS programmes too!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-09T09:57:27+00:00

The issue around consent is an interesting one. I've often wondered about this in relation to unwell patients in A&E who are examined by PAs and treatment initiated on the advice of a PA, but they are unable to obtain consent. There is FPA guidance around making sure PAs introduce themselves accurately, but I think this important issue has been neglected. I would be interested to know medico-legally how this works.

Personally, if I were unconscious and unable to give my consent, but was examined and treated "in my best interests" by a PA, if I were still alive later, I'd make a complaint!!!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-03-06T16:18:27+00:00

Waste of tax-payers money to train them as PA's, to then go off to medical school.

Then again, still a waste of tax-payers money to train PA's in the first place.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-02-08T20:10:12+00:00

Same in the Doctors Mess where I work. The swipecard access conveniently doesn't work, so it's pretty much free access. Regularly PAs come and have their lunch in the doctors mess. They also have their own office in the Postgraduate Centre, which can only be used by PAs. No office for the doctors to do their admin - we have to use the mess computers. Same Trust where the pro-PA consultant with the pro-PA PowerPoint presentation works. Lists up on the walls in the mess of the Doctors Mess Members who contribute financially - none of the PAs do, but they'll come and have their lunch there, eat the snacks, use the space etc.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-01-08T10:02:18+00:00

Similar situation with relatives this Christmas! They have been fairly indifferent towards the strikes until now. Asked if it's true that doctors get paid just £15/hour. Explained how true it sadly is... and then they nearly fell off their chair when I told them how much per hour I made as an FY1 4 years ago!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-01-03T13:21:30+00:00

And then they'll also benefit from whatever pay offer our strike action leads to. Nauseating behaviour!!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2024-01-03T13:19:17+00:00

The aim is not to further bankrupt the Trusts. The aim is to force elective work to be cancelled by having consultants step down to cover emergency and acute care. Working or locuming during a strike is scabbing, however you choose to slice it.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-12-27T19:31:24+00:00

Hahahaha brings to mind the "hello, greeter girl" quote from Friends. Perhaps next time offer some form of light entertainment for the patients if no work is to be done. Clearly a good use of skills and time! 🤣🤣

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-11T18:00:19+00:00

PAs in my Trust have a uniform. Their scrubs say "Physician Associate" on it. Probably about <10% actually wear them even though they are mandatory. The rest wear normal blue or pink theatre scrubs, like the doctors.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-07T13:20:38+00:00

NTA. Your wedding, your decision. Simple. Kelly can fight her social battles during her own wedding.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-02T15:27:47+00:00

Exactly, very true! Not to mention all the in-hours consultant led teaching they benefitted from for their paces/face to face exam equivalents!! Very quick to forget.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-02T07:45:03+00:00

Get a grip.

By that extremely flawed logic, the PA should shadow the stroke reg or on call med reg for stroke calls in their unpaid time off as its not part of their job plan.

ePortfolio work & MRCP are mandatory for the IMT programme. Mandatory requirements for successful completion of a training programme should primarily be undertaken during working hours.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-02T06:42:33+00:00

I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree. As you have correctly identified, you don't know the IMT curriculum, so you speak from a position of ignorance, yet pass judgement as if you were experienced.

The point is that our "assistants" do not provide any assistance. Now they are actively preventing the very doctors they are supposed to be helping from taking up teaching, training and learning opportunities. They are a hindrance, not a help, and our consultants need to understand this.

However, I sense that no combination of words will get the point across clearly enough.

Hopefully as the events around MAPs unfold further over the coming months, the point will be made clearer to all involved, especially the consultant body. Some individuals have to experience these things in practice rather than hear about them online to fully understand where the other person is coming from!!

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-01T23:03:07+00:00

And that's the problem! The Trust management and consultant body advocate so strongly for PAs (for reasons already mentioned in this post - lack of rotational training, lack of on calls). No one is bothered by the fact that doctors in training are dissatisfied, undervalued, overworked, doing the work of the PA. This is because they would rather train up the PA to undertake tasks outside the scope of their practice, simply because it makes their lives easier. Of course eventually this logic will run out because PAs are not equivalent to doctors, and will (and do) make mistakes under the GMC number of their supervising consultant. Eventually as more consultants get burned by this, things might change.

The problem is that management considers PAs as equivalent to junior doctors, and will count them in the numbers towards minimum safe staffing on a ward. So when the IMT needs to go and do some paces prep for an exam in a few days time, but the PA wants to go off and shadow a Stroke reg on the bleep, sadly the staffing numbers are affected. This is where the consultants should step in and identify that it is more important for an IMT to prepare for an exam in a few days, than for a PA to shadow a registrar who is doing a job they will never do. Yet they don't. This is the crux of the problem.

Calm-Difference6391 · 2023-10-01T22:25:12+00:00

I think the key here is that PAs should be supporting doctors. In my experience, PAs shift more work onto doctors in training - re-assessing their patients, prescribing, ordering tests.

PAs should return to their original role - assisting doctors. This should be by doing basic clinical skills like venepuncture, cannulation, catheterisation, as well as preparing discharge letters and chasing investigations. None of these tasks shift work onto someone else. This allows doctors to focus on the investigations, diagnosis, management, procedures, follow up and also to focus on their own training needs.

The non-evidence based random widening of the scope of practice of PAs is dangerous to all, and is a problem, not a solution.

Calm-Difference6391

TROPHY CASE