Junior Doctors: On The Front Line

Over the past few months, the junior doctors have continued to learn on the job and have become more confident. But as they near the end of their time on their wards, the pressure is on as they are expected to take on even more responsibility. It’s all change for second-year doctor Luke as his more experienced colleagues leave the ENT department, meaning he will need to work more independently. Unsure if ENT is the specialty for him, Luke takes a trip back home to Derry to seek advice from his GP father.

As each week passes, the junior doctors are finally settling into their new roles. But they are now expected to take on more responsibility, and with that comes greater pressure. Twenty-three-year-old Howra is on a night shift, covering ten wards with over 300 patients. Two hours into her shift she gets a crash call, meaning there’s an emergency in the hospital that all doctors must attend. A patient originally admitted with a fractured skull has lost consciousness and is now in a critical condition. This is Howra’s first crash call, and the pressure is on as she joins more senior colleagues at the scene.

It's twenty-three-year-old Howra’s first Christmas working in the hospital and with some staff away for the holiday, her job list increases. Whilst on call and responsible for up to 350 patients across 10 wards, Howra must assess an agitated patient, who has been brought in by the police. It’s her first experience of a prisoner and the pressure is on her to calm him down and make a diagnosis. She is also called to register the death of a patient who unexpectedly passed away on the ward. It’s another first for Howra, who will need to hold her nerve and manage her emotions.

Six junior doctors, all in their twenties, are beginning their new placements at Salford Royal hospital. They face tough lessons pushing them to their limits as they confront the pressures and demands of winter in the NHS and the realities of being a junior doctor.