Trainee Wellbeing and the Role of the Chief Resident

Goku is a specialist registrar in Medicine of the Elderly and a Chief Registrar in the Victoria Hospital Kirkcaldy. This week, we had the opportunity to speak him regarding his role as the Chief Registrar and his thoughts on trainee well-being. 

What is the role of the Chief Registrar and why did you become a Chief Registrar?

My role as the Chief Registrar involves liaising with trainees about any concerns or feedback and acting as a channel of communication between trainees and training/hospital management teams. I frequently get contacted by trainees regarding a number of different things. This could range from trainees that are having difficulties in getting to grips with their clinical work, to highlighting workload and clinical pressures that may limit their ability to attend teaching or take their required breaks. I would often try to direct them to the appropriate support services, answer questions, come up with solutions, provide reassurance, or just lend a listening ear. Being a liaison between trainees and training management means that I am also able to feedback relevant information regarding training experiences and how this could be improved.

I became Chief Registrar because I thought it would be a good opportunity to expand on my leadership skills, develop a better understanding of hospital management systems and also to be an advocate for trainees. I knew it would be challenging, but I felt like there were a lot of skills and experiences to gain from the role which would help me develop further.  

What are your thoughts on trainee well-being?

Trainee well-being is extremely important. I think having a general awareness of your well-being is quite important as I tend to find that issues such as fatigue and signs of burnout generally sneak up on you earlier than you would anticipate. I feel there are a number of factors that contribute to this such as rotational training placements and working in new and unfamiliar environments so often. This is especially relevant as we have recently had changeover in early December. It can be a time when a lot of people may not have developed their support networks in their new placements. Increasing clinical pressures and workload means trainees should be encouraged to prioritise breaks and periods of rest. Most hospitals will have resources and services dedicated to addressing this, including wellbeing groups or champions. 

I am personally an advocate for civility in the workplace. I think a lot of the times, our experience at work can be affected by a negative interaction that we have had when communicating with a colleague. Promoting a culture of civility, inclusivity and kindness in the workplace is important for the health and wellbeing of not just healthcare professionals, but for patients as well.