Preparing for the GP entry exam online.Dr. Mahibur Rahman is a portfolio GP and a consultant in medical education. He qualified as a doctor in 2001 and as a GP in 2007. He is the medical director of Emedica and is the author of GP Jobs: A Guide to Career Options in General Practice.

1. Starting your rst post in training or changing to a new rotation can be exciting, but it can also be scary
and comes with lots of challenges. In this article, Dr. Mahibur Rahman looks at 10 tips to help you in
your new post.
G P TRAINING
10 tips for doctors starting a new post in GP training


2. 1. Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions!
Whenever you change to a di erent specialty, ward, practice or department, there will be lots of things
that will be new to you. Some things will be speci c to that ward (like where they keep speci c forms),
some will be speci c to that hospital, department, practice – some will even be speci c to each
consultant or GP trainer you work with. If there is anything you are unsure of, don’t be scared to ask.
When you start your rst post in a GP practice, there can be lots of things that you may have never dealt
with before (e.g. the electronic record systems) and it can take take to adjust.
You may feel shy or embarrassed, but it is important to overcome this and ask so that you can do your
job properly rather than pretend you know what to do or where to go and then cause problems.
2. Eat, drink, take a break
It is easy to get caught up with all the requests from the ward, patients waiting to be clerked in the
emergency department, or to get through clinic, home visits, admin and nd that you have gone without
any food, drink or a rest and it is almost the end of the day. The rst few days, you may not realise as
you are fuelled by adrenaline, but this is not sustainable. Make sure that you have some proper food,
away from a desk at lunchtime. Stay hydrated with water, tea / co ee throughout the day. It is easy to be
overwhelmed by all the di erent tasks on your list, but it is important to take a break for a few minutes
to recharge yourself. Apart from a cardiac arrest or something of similar urgency, most tasks can wait 5-
10 minutes.

3. 3. Remember everybody is nervous
It is normal to feel nervous your rst time doing anything in a new post – and the second, third, and
fourth time in some cases! You won’t be the only one feeling nervous, so if you need some help or want
to talk a procedure over with a senior colleague or look something up, it is ne! We won’t think less of
you – in fact I prefer the junior colleague who admits when they are unsure and asks for help, especially
early on. Remember we all had similar experiences when we started.
4. Medicine is a team sport
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4. Looking after our patients’ needs will involve lots of team members. As well as doctors, there are the
nurses, health care assistants, ward clerks, secretaries, porters, radiographers, cleaners, receptionists,
practice manager and many more. Acknowledge the role others in the team play – say thank you, get to
know them and they will help you when you need them. Bring in some treats for the nursing team on
your main ward or the reception team in your practice once in a while and see the bene ts!
5. Smile, and the world smiles with you
Although you may be tired and or stressed out, remember that your patient may be in pain, worried,
scared, feeling sick and emotional. In most situations, a smile goes a long way make the patient a little
more comfortable. Of course, there are times when you may need to avoid smiling e.g. if you are
breaking bad news or if a patient is angry and they might mistake a smile as you not taking their
situation seriously, but hopefully you will be able to recognise this early on. Similarly, your colleagues
may be feeling tired or stressed if the shift is really busy – your smile may help lift them up and boost
their morale a little bit.
6. Watch out for yourself and your colleagues

5. We all know that medicine can be stressful, and there are comparatively high numbers of doctors that
su er from things like depression, stress, alcohol and drug dependence. As well as looking after yourself
and ensuring you seek help from your own GP if you feel you are becoming unwell, watch out for any
signs that your colleagues might need support.
7. Don’t forget “My name is…”
Start every interaction with a patient with a polite, professional introduction, let them know your name
and your role as one of the doctors in the team. It is not only common courtesy, but it will help start
your consultation or assessment on the right foot.
8. Plan ahead
Try to meet with the other junior doctors early on and plan any dates when you need someone to cover
your on call so you can go to a family event, or attend a course. Plan your holidays in advance and try to
book a break – knowing something is booked can give you something to look forward to which can help
you get through those tough shifts or di cult weeks.
9. Get familiar with the e-portfolio
Try to spend some time early on learning how to navigate the e-portfolio and putting in regular learning
logs. You need to stay on top of the minimum requirements and complete all the assessments to get

6. through the Workplace Based Assessment (WPBA) part of your MRCGP – remember this starts from ST1
and continues throughout the whole of training.
10. Wear sensible shoes
Whether you are in GP or a hospital post, you will be on your feet and do a lot of walking (and
occasionally running in hospital) as a junior doctor. From doing ward rounds, taking emergency bloods
to the lab, going to radiology to request scans, going back and forth to the emergency department to
clerk in new patients, doing home visits in GP and going up and down stairs to respond to pager
requests from di erent wards and running to cardiac arrests. Buying some smart but comfortable shoes
will make a real di erence by the end of a long day!
I hope these tips are helpful and I wish you all the best in your new job!
Please do add your own tips in the comments and share this with any of your friends who are starting
GP training or changing jobs!
Dr. Mahibur Rahman is a portfolio GP and a consultant in medical education. He quali ed as a doctor in
2001 and as a GP in 2007. He is the medical director of Emedica and is the author of GP Jobs: A Guide to
Career Options in General Practice.
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