Embedding acute physicians in the emergency department to improve medical registrar training and morale.

Abstract

Much has been written about the effect that increasing workload during medical on-calls has on the medical registrar1,2 as they try to juggle safe patient treatment, their own training, supervision of their team, and often education and supervision of other doctors within the hospital, particularly on night shifts. Multiple rota gaps have negatively affected their work–life balance, as medical registrars are relied on to cover extra shifts (due to the scarcity of locum doctors), as well as the adverse effects on their training, particularly in the craft specialties (ie those with a significant amount of time performing practical procedures, eg endoscopy in gastroenterology). In places that are particularly busy, such as at East Surrey Hospital, changes in …