Team-based versus ward-based junior doctors: Where do the differences lie?

Abstract

Foundation Year 1 doctors (or pre-registration house officers) are the most junior members on the medical or surgical team. They provide secretarial and clinical services under supervision of more senior clinicians. With the increasing demand on health services in the United Kingdom, employers and educators are searching for ways to maximise their productivity without detriment to their training. One such method was trialled at our Trust. We changed from a team-based system to a ward-based system for Foundation Year 1 doctors on general surgical firms. Following the change we assessed the impact on junior doctor training using qualitative and quantitative methods. We believe that our study and the results will be of great interest to your readers. This project has been presented regionally and nationally and has been met with great interest.