Vote for the Chair of the BGS Trainees Council
Voting for this election has now closed.
Voting for this election has now closed.
My experience over the years as a training registrar has been varied, from working in hospitals with a robust and forward attitude towards the care of older people, to working in departments where there is no dedicated service to deliver their complex care needs.
This has pushed me to work towards influencing change at a national trainee level, so that older people receive better safer care.
I recognise that this is a challenge, however I believe that small changes can lead to positive outcomes.
I feel that education is the first step in developing better care for older patients. At my local trust I identified a lack of education around Geriatric medicine and developed a program promoting the theories of frailty with real life examples. I delivered this specifically to A and E doctors. This led to better frontline assessments and prevented unnecessary admissions.
I recently took the initiative and approached the Professor of Cardiology, and suggested the development of a collaborative syncope pathway. I identified this as a significant gap in our service and after several meetings it was agreed to take this forward. This demonstrates that I am able to communicate with more senior members outside my department and present a case for improvement.
I have undertaken multiple leadership roles, some of which include representing the Medical Registrars at the local faculty group meetings and managing the departmental rota consisting of fifteen doctors, authorising leave and co-ordinating rota gaps.
I am most proud of the research that I initiated looking at factors contributing to Foundation Doctors Stress at Work. The findings were uncomfortable and distressing, however I was able to liaise directly with the Medical Director and human resource department, making recommendations, which subsequently led to the implementation of strategies to improve the working lives of doctors in that trust. I believe this demonstrates my commitment to junior doctors. It also highlights that I am able to manage situations that are emotionally charged and still achieve positive outcomes.
My approach to this role would first and foremost be to gain a better understanding of what is happening at a national level, in particular the varied approach to Geriatric medicine, and the key influences. I would also need to be more involved with the trainees and continue to address the issues around training and development at a local level. This would be achieved by working closely with the BGS Trainee council and liaising closely with other key members such as the RCP the BMA and our allied health professionals. Positive changes can only be achieved by listening closely to all groups involved and moving forward with the same goals.
I am in my final year of completing my Masters in Medical Leadership, which has given me the academic knowledge to approach this position. I believe that my experience of service and trainee development, as well as my leadership roles and positions makes me a strong candidate for this job.
If fortunate enough to be elected as the BGS trainee chair, there is much I hope to achieve. I believe my enthusiasm for the position and experiences so far make me perfectly placed to undertake the role.
Within my clinical work I develop rapport quickly and take pride in actively listening and provoking conversation about how to improve the current status quo. I work hard to ensure that there is a wider view of the problem and solutions; nurturing fleeting thoughts or heights of emotion into plausible strategies for lasting change. These characteristics are needed in a council chair; someone who can champion individuals to themselves make local and national change that benefit the whole along with the individual. I have found a joy and aptitude in being an advocate for my patients but also in learning how to advocate for, and mediate between, junior, peer, consultant and management colleagues.
I am committed to supporting trainees and am passionate about retaining existing clinicians and encouraging junior clinicians into our speciality. I am earnest to see each trainee fulfilled and supported as they navigate the personal, clinical and academic demands of the job. Up to now I have interfaced with trainees and the training program at many stages; having sat on interview panels for prospective medical students, been a foundation program representative, lectured to physicians associate students, sat on a foundation ARCP panel and helped organise MRCP PACES examinations. Understanding the program by personally progressing through it and recognising the variation of experience from colleagues will support my endeavours to constructively represent both current and future geriatric medicine trainees and be a truthful representative to those engaged in steering the BGS forward.
To navigate through the two-year position as BGS trainee council chair I firstly intend to get to know the existing council members, recognising their experience and input as key to the success of the council. Secondly, I will utilise the devolved nations representatives and junior representative to endeavour to obtain far reaching, realistic observations, experiences, and expectations of training. This will enhance my effectiveness in communication and ability to construct appropriate and timely agendas as well as optimising the council’s progress.
Beyond this initial phase, I am not going to specify plans and projects because across the UK and globally, much change is on the horizon. In July, Sally Greenbrook, our policy manager wrote “the country is going through one of the most politically unstable periods in its history.” This will likely influence medical policy and strategy, infiltrating change both to training and daily practice. What this change will look like is unclear. Nonetheless, despite the uncertain impact these changes will have on public policy, the daily staffing and social care challenges, and the more tangible uncertainties such as the outworking of the new IMT program, as chair I will remain malleable yet consistent and proactive in promoting the specialty of geriatric medicine; championing the health and welfare of older adults and the doctors who serve them.
I ♥ Geriatrics. I’m passionate about advocating for older adults and I love managing the complexities we all see every day. The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) is pivotal in ensuring we have a platform to share knowledge, network, and ensure older adults receive the absolutely best care that they deserve. Trainees make up a third of the geriatric medicine workforce – this means we are an impactful body both now, and in the future throughout our consultant careers. Trainees share a unique position through rotations within different hospitals and regular direct front line work at all hours. Trainees are often best placed to provide a distinctive outlook on geriatric medicine matters.
For these reasons, I am absolutely passionate about the work of the BGS trainees’ council and the value that the BGS chair has as providing a trainee voice on the board of trustees and specialty meetings. Throughout my training so far, I’ve acted as our regional trainee representative, co-founded the Geriatric Medicine Research Collaborative (GeMRC), and organised the Trainees Weekend in 2019. My role as the West Midlands trainee representative invigorated my interest in advocating for trainees, and provided me with insight into issues trainees are facing and how these can be overcome.
If I am elected as chair, I intend to do the following:
I’m currently out of programme completing a PhD characterising acute sarcopenia in hospitalised older adults. This is my own project which I’ve spent the last three years planning; I’ve learnt so many skills along the way, but most important to stay determined! Although this means that I will have academic commitments over the next two years, at least I won’t have the SpR on-call rota to contend with when attending meetings! I’ve already discussed what the role of chair involves with the current chair Steve Lim, so am prepared for what it will entail.