Some Thoughts for New Graduates from Dr. Kim Oates

Finishing medical school is about looking back to your time as students and looking to the future as new graduates.

It’s the future I want to focus on. Medical school is just part of the continuum of medical education. You’ll keep learning new facts and new techniques. You’ll even find that as years pass and knowledge increases some things you learned in medical school have become obsolete or outdated, overtaken by new information.

But some things never change. One of these is the need to always put the patient first. It sounds so simple, but there will be many temptations to put the patient’s need lower on your list of priorities.

Many events and people will influence you. Some of these events will be errors you or others will be involved in. Most errors are not the fault of an individual, although the individual may be the last factor in a string of contributing causes. Most errors are the fault of a system where the safety of the patient is not always paramount. And when they do occur, they should always be seen as opportunities to learn and improve.

The people you meet and work with can influence you. Not all will be good influences. Some will be arrogant, some will cut corners, some will ignore protocols, some will not show respect for their patients or for other health professionals. Some will not put the patient first.

You’ll meet others who treat staff and patients with respect, who aren’t self-promoting, who sit at the bedside to talk with patients, who listen, who understand the value of other members of the care team, who want to learn as well as to teach and who put the patient at the centre of every decision.

Both groups have the potential to be role models, particularly if they have strong personalities or are much more senior than you. So pick you role models with care. Decide who you want to be like and who you don’t want to be like.

Here are my 10 tips for new graduates, tips that will help you right through your career, but more importantly, tips that will help your patients, giving them good care and keeping them safe.

1. Never forget that patients are vulnerable.
2. Remember that you are the guest in your patient’s illness.
3. Listen to your patients. “What’s the matter with you?” is a good question but your care will be better if you also ask “What matters to you?”
4. Use simple, clear language with your patients, remembering that good communication involves listening.
5. Work collaboratively with and learn from nurses and allied health professionals.
6. Admit your mistakes and use them as opportunities for improvement.
7. Don’t accept standards and behaviours that aren’t in the best interests of the patient. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
8. Keep learning, stay up to date.
9. Never let people put you on a pedestal. Stay humble.
10. Always put your patient first, never forgetting that “It’s all about the patient”.

Have a wonderful and fulfilling career.

Kim Oates

 

 

 

 

 

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