Junior doctors as senior clinical leaders – a reflection on my foundation year 2 (F2) experiences during the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic

Home, J

Abstract

COVID-19 presented a huge unplanned pressure on health resources worldwide.
Across the NHS, different approaches have been utilised to respond to the crisis.
Leadership figures across services were faced with difficult decisions with potential of
resources never before seen by NHS providers.
In the medium sized District General Hospital where I am based, one of the key
changes implemented, was the placement of a Junior Doctor into Hospital
management and Leadership teams. Under direct supervision from the medical
director and associate director of medical education, I was released from a significant
proportion of my clinical work to provide leadership and oversight into decisions
affecting junior doctors.
As a Foundation Doctor in my final rotation of Foundation Year 2, this provided a
unique experience to not only observe senior policy and strategic decisions, but also to
lead on several projects. Coming from a Trust with historically poor performance
metrics in trainee experience, it was recognised that this was an opportunity to
instigate both structural and cultural change across divisions.
This article will discuss the lessons learned from this experience, highlighting areas for
improvement, with the hope of empowering junior doctors to take senior leadership
roles in the future.

Citation

Home, J. (2021). Junior doctors as senior clinical leaders – a reflection on my foundation year 2 (F2) experiences during the SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(1), 245-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1810456

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 24, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Aug 25, 2020
• Publication Date: Jan 2, 2021
• Deposit Date: Aug 19, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 25, 2021
• Journal: International Journal of Healthcare Management
• Print ISSN: 2047-9700
• Electronic ISSN: 2047-9719
• Publisher: Maney Publishing
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 245-249
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1810456
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1810456
• Related Public URLs: https://tandfonline.com/toc/yjhm20/current
• Additional Information: Access Information : This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Healthcare Management on 25th August 2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/20479700.2020.1810456.