The sixth #WILTW post
I was fortunate enough to attend Agents for Change (#A4C2014) this week. An annual event since 2008 it was where I first learnt the value I could provide to the entire health system, not just individual patients. I delivered a short workshop with Jeremy Tong about the challenge junior doctors face in delivering change. We spoke about narrative and the importance of personal stories in engaging with others, something we learnt a great deal about during #nhschangeday. Jeremy has an extremely powerful story about his personal experiences of sepsis which clearly have focused his efforts on developing the paediatric sepsis six tool.
Anyway I digress from the point in hand! The conference started with an introduction from Fiona Godlee, editor of the BMJ. She revealed the following:
#A4C2014 “not sure I would have got into medicine now…” @fgodlee talks on the reasons and requirements for doctors today…
— Damian Roland (@Damian_Roland) June 26, 2014
and described how doctors typically have a huge range of talents, not just academic ability, which makes competition for medical school very intense. I have always thought that doctors are actually spineless. Generally at school they have one thing they are really good at but don’t have the guts to pursue that as a career/vocation and medicine becomes the safe choice. It made me reflect on my visit to the Foxton Locks Festival last weekend. There was a circus skills area and I got a chance to play around with toys I haven’t had fun with since being at school. I’ll be honest there is no way I could have made a career as a juggler but it was certainly something I’d forgotten I could do.
I’m sure others have other ‘outside of medicine’ skills. Just looking through the range of #FOAMed material delivered by singing, artistry or technological wizardry proves this. If you’ve let something you enjoyed doing slip in the last few years this is a reminder to pick up it again. You might just enjoy it.
What have you learnt this week? #WILTW