'Experience days': promoting interprofessional collaboration and understanding for postgraduate doctors in training.

An 'experience day' is a novel concept in medical education, targeted at postgraduate doctors in training. In this article, the term postgraduate doctors in training includes all junior doctors, ranging from foundation year level to junior specialist doctors to higher specialist registrars. Experience days offer postgraduate doctors in training the opportunity to shadow other healthcare professionals in their working environment, to enhance their perspective of their role as a clinician and their understanding of the complex interplay of services. The aim is to promote interprofessional collaboration and to encourage consideration of the expectations placed upon members of the multidisciplinary team and reflection on whether these are realistic. Taster days are a well-established educational opportunity for junior doctors, supported by Health Education England. However, there is a paucity of literature concerning shadowing for doctors who have already qualified, or those who wish to shadow services that they work alongside. This article introduces the concept of experience days for postgraduate doctors in training.

Tips from the shop floor: postgraduate doctors working in trauma and orthopaedics.

Trauma and orthopaedics is a useful rotation for junior doctors to undertake. Experience in the specialty allows doctors to feel more confident in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the entire musculoskeletal system. Many junior doctors cover on-calls in trauma and orthopaedics departments, often with no prior specialist experience. This article provides junior doctors with up-to-date information about how to prepare for a placement in trauma and orthopaedics, as well as helpful resources for those interested in a career in trauma and orthopaedics.

Tips for the shop floor for trainees working in paediatric hospital medicine.

Paediatrics is one of the most useful rotations for junior doctors to undertake, allowing them to learn and develop the skills necessary to provide child-centred care. As with any speciality, it can be daunting to cover on-calls with no previous experience, so guidance for those starting paediatric placements can be valuable. This article provides up-to-date information and preparation strategies for all junior doctors, whether they are considering undertaking a paediatric rotation as a trainee or in a trust post, or are already in training, such as on general practitioner vocational schemes.

Identifying barriers to diagnosing dementia following incentivisation and policy pressures: General practitioners' perspectives.

Overcoming barriers to earlier diagnosis of dementia in primary care is a core ambition of several government initiatives in the UK, with incentives put in place to promote earlier recognition by general practitioners and referral to specialists. This study was designed to explore general practitioners' opinions concerning barriers to diagnosing dementia, following implementation of strategies aimed at reducing them. The study involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 general practitioners from seven practices in North London or the West Midlands. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was carried out using the Framework approach. We identified four major themes: organisational factors, clinician-related factors, patient-related factors and societal influences. The study findings revealed barriers previously unidentified in the literature which warrant further investigation, including the limits of diagnostic tools, lack of cultural applicability of these tools, and prioritisation of severe over mildly symptomatic patients by dementia services.