Editor’s Choice: Four decades of adventure

Over 7000 UK medical graduates will start their first day as doctors next week, and many will have kept an eye on the advice offered on social media by using the #tipsfornewdocs hashtag (http://bit.ly/1LSPAKR). There they will find practical advice on everything from how to cope with sleep deprivation to how you should treat colleagues with due respect.

Psychiatrist Alex Langford (‏@PsychiatrySHO) says, “Be nice to everyone. Especially the nurses. They have seen hundreds of new doctors before and can save your skin. #tipsfornewdocs.” And GP Liza Kirtchuk (‏@LKirtchuk) advises, “Don’t be pressured into doing anything you’re not comfortable with. Take a step back and listen to your instincts #tipsfornewdocs.”

The tips also extend to advice on how to begin the first day of a career that will for many be four decades of adventure. Psychiatrist Kate Lovett (‏@DrKateLovett) says, “Look after your patients and your career takes care of itself”#tipsfornewdocs @WeDocs.” Anaesthetist Dave Jones (‏@WelshGasDoc) advises, “#TipsForNewDocs You’re in a caring profession, but made to work in a system that doesn’t care. Look after yourself, and your colleagues.”

As these doctors embark on their new careers, BMJ Careers this week takes a step back from practical advice to reflect on the current state of training and assessment and to look at some innovative work to break down the divisions between specialties. Letitia Dormandy and Kate Laycock consider the impact of recent shifts in training and assessment (http://bit.ly/1MzznM1). Jonathan Glass argues that patient care in surgery risks being subsumed by the pursuit of protocol (http://bit.ly/1eCKogR). Anne Gulland looks at the difference in how doctors are trained in the “soft” skills that they need beyond their clinical expertise (http://bit.ly/1Is9eYv). And Abi Rimmer reports on a walking group established to improve working relationships across primary and secondary care (http://bit.ly/1DcRILR). Let us hope that the new doctors starting work next week are similarly able to make time to reflect on how the profession and its work is changing and how it can be improved for future cohorts of doctors.