A Novel Remote Induction Programme for New Junior Doctors during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Sean Lobo*, Mostafa Khalil, Wen Ling Choong and John Scollay

Introduction: Starting a new job as a junior doctor is often challenging. In addition, doctors who have recently commenced employment have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has affected them in multitude of detrimental ways, including reduced clinical exposure for final year medical students, as well as, hampering the traditional face to face clinical induction.

Methods: To help foundation doctors who were starting work during the pandemic, we developed an additional trainee led and facilitated remote induction programme. This consisted of a series of online sessions, covering areas such as prescribing, management of the acutely unwell patient and effective organisation/prioritisation. We utilized a number of different techniques, including virtual simulations to ensure engagement and interactivity. Prior to the commencement of the programme, we measured the confidence of participants across several parameters including managing unwell patients, prescribing, and dealing with nightshifts. The same parameters were re-assessed following completion of our programme.

Results: Following completion of our course we noted a trend towards improvement in the self-reported confidence scores across all parameters. The greatest improvement was noted in “management of the acutely unwell patient”, with scores increasing from 4.074 ± 0.522 to 6.00 ± 0.503 after completion of the programme.

Discussion: Completion of our remote induction programme has helped new foundation doctors improve their confidence in dealing with common clinical scenarios and potentially improved prescribing practice. A trainee led/facilitated remote induction programme has many advantages.