Viewpoint: Is our profession in need of occupational therapy?

Abstract

As a former physiotherapist and occupational therapist, I noticed that becoming a foundation year 1 doctor in 2013 profoundly affected my work–life balance. Data published in 2010 suggests that 23% of doctors did not apply to continue training following their second foundation year.1 Similarly, an emergency medicine recruitment and retention crisis was more recently highlighted. People leaving the profession may be sensitive to something the rest of us ignore. When I was a medical student, foundation year doctors told me that they routinely worked unpaid hours and the European Working Time Directive was a fictitious paper exercise for them. Research findings from a sample of 1065 doctors suggest that working un-rostered …