Abstract
Medical Educators face an ongoing challenge in optimizing preparedness for practice for newly qualified doctors. Junior doctors have highlighted specific areas in which they do not feel adequately equipped to undertake their duties, including managing the acutely unwell patient. In these highly stressful, time-critical scenarios it might be assumed that a lack of knowledge underpins these feelings of apprehension from junior medics; however, having studied, trained and passed examinations to demonstrate such knowledge, perhaps other factors should be considered. The recent Olympic Games in Rio demonstrated the impact of sport psychology techniques in allowing athletes to achieve their optimum performance in the face of adversity. The use of mental and behavioral strategies to control feelings of anxiety and low self-efficacy are pivotal for athletes to deliver their best performance under extreme pressure. We consider whether such techniques could improve the preparedness of the newest recruits to the healthcare system, and the impact this could have on patient care. Finally, suggestions for potential research directions within this area are offered to stimulate interest amongst the research community.
Highlights
Pre-performance routines (PPR) are commonplace across various skills with a defined beginning and end (“closedskills”), such as sprinting and long-jump
As medical educators interested in supporting junior doctors to enhance performance within the highly pressured environment of a busy clinical workplace, we have become increasingly interested in applying insights from sport psychology into the educational approaches used across the post-graduate curriculum
We have been surprised by the little attention to given to PPR within medical education beyond simple descriptions such as the ‘diagnostic pause’ described by Atkinson (2011) who encouraged General Practitioner trainees to take a moment to review the progress of the consultation during natural intermissions in proceedings, e.g. during hand-washing
Summary
PPRs are commonplace across various skills with a defined beginning and end (“closedskills”), such as sprinting and long-jump. The recent Olympic Games in Rio demonstrated the impact of sport psychology techniques in allowing athletes to achieve their optimum performance in the face of adversity.
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