Vol. 1 No. 1, 2008

As doctors, we often know more about our patients than their partners and families. We take details about their sexual history, document intimate examinations and chart a whole lifetime of personal events. So when the BMJ estimates that 30,000 people die in the UK each year from medical errors, it’s enough to strike fear into the heart of all new doctors. As doctors, we will all make mistakes – even the infallible consultant surgeon makes blunders, but for a new doctor every day can seem like a struggle. What’s important is that you know how to make mistakes in a safe way for both you and the patient.

Sadly, medical law and ethics is not something that is taught well in medical school and, when you’re working, it is not at the forefront of your mind. In reality it goes hand-in-hand with clinical practice. That’s why New Doctor is a great way of picking up essential advice that you can apply to your whole career from learning about the implications of the Mental Capacity Act to how to be struck off, or rather not to be struck off. Reading other doctors’ experiences is an additional way to learn how to deal appropriately with difficult situations you might face. Read how Melissa Whitten worked her way up the clinical ladder to become a success in obstetrics and gynaecology. With all the pressures of being a trainee doctor working in overstretched teams, keeping ourselves safe often takes a low priority.

Picking up a little knowledge in each issue of New Doctor will make it safer for both you and your patients. So get reading!

Dr Ashley McKimm, Editor of JuniorDr and SHO Addiction Psychiatry