Foundation doctors working at night: what training opportunities exist?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Postgraduate Training

Background:

• Foundation Training (FT) is crucial for early-career doctors.
• Reduced participation of foundation doctors (FDs) in night shifts due to perceived poor supervision and limited training opportunities.
• Concerns that removing FDs from night shifts may hinder their development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the training value of night shifts for FDs.
• To evaluate FDs' perceptions of night shift supervision and training.
• To test the hypothesis that removing FDs from night shifts could be detrimental to training.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among FDs in London.
• Assessed the number of FDs working nights and their views on supervision.
• Compared opportunities for achieving foundation competencies during night shifts versus daytime working.

Main Results:

• High survey completion rate (83%).
• Over 90% of FDs reported improved prioritization, decision-making, and planning skills from night shifts.
• Significantly higher competency achievement scores in history taking, examination, and resuscitation for night shift workers.
• 65% of FDs felt adequately supervised during night shifts.

Conclusions:

• Night shifts offer valuable training experiences for FDs.
• These experiences are supplementary to daytime training.
• Night shifts contribute significantly to the development of essential clinical skills and competencies.