UKFPO Bulletin – August

Cycle to Work day – 1 August 

World breastfeeding Awareness week – 1-7 August 

Other national campaigns throughout the year 

Action for happiness calendar – ‘Altruistic August’ 

Introduction

Welcome to the August bulletin!

For most UK doctors, August marks the anniversary of the start of their career as a doctor. It can be a time to reflect on how being a doctor has changed since starting out, and how as individuals we have learnt, developed and thrived in our careers.

A message for new F1s

With that in mind, on behalf of UKFPO I would like to welcome new F1 doctors as you make the transition from medical student to doctor. Remember that all the doctors with whom you come into contact have been in the same situation you’re in – feeling uncertain in the early years of their careers, not sure where to be and what to do. If you’re unsure about something then ask someone: talk to your peers, your seniors, your supervisors, other healthcare professionals. Someone will know what to do – ask nicely and they’ll help you!

A message for others new to the Foundation Programme

There are a number of doctors who will also be starting their Foundation Programme at this time. Again, I would like to welcome you on behalf of UKFPO. For many, it will be the first time you’ve worked in the NHS which may be very different from the healthcare systems where you were at medical school or have practised before. Please take my advice – it is absolutely normal to ask for help from others, whether that’s the doctors, the nurses and the other healthcare professionals you’re working with. If you’re not sure what to do – just ask!

A message for those already in the Foundation Programme

I hope that Foundation Programme training continues to be helpful to your professional development as you learn and grow the skills that all doctors need. Remember that as well as formal teaching sessions, you learn as a doctor through working with patients, other doctors and other healthcare professionals, reflecting on those experiences, and carrying forward that learning to other clinical environments. It might be a good time for you to think about how much you have learnt and how much you have developed since youstarted as a doctor. 

UKFPO Fellows

As well as learning and developing clinical and procedural skills, there are lots of really important professional skills that you will develop as you progress through your career as a doctor. For many years, UKFPO have two F2 doctors on a fellowship, appointed due to demonstrating excellent professional skills such as leadership and teamworking.

I would like to thank Drs Doanna Daoud and Aysha Nijamudeen who were UKFPO Fellows for 2023-24. They have been excellent representatives of Foundation doctors at various meetings, have completed great projects to help with UKFPO work, and contributed greatly with our work. On behalf of UKFPO, I would like to wish them the very best of luck in their future careers.

Current F1 doctors will have the opportunity to apply for 2025-26 UKFPO Fellowships in May 2025; in the meantime, our new 2024-25 UKFPO fellows will introduce themselves below.

Take of yourselves and each other

Best wishes

Mike Masding, Co-chair to the UKFPO

Notices & Announcements

UKFPO 2024-25 Fellow introductions

Darya Ibrahim

To all my fellow foundation doctors, I am delighted to introduce myself as one of the two UKFPO Fellows for 2024-25. My name is Darya Ibrahim, and I am a Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) Year 2 Doctor with a keen interest in medical leadership. I am currently working at Manchester Foundation Trust, having completed my medical degree and Health Management and Leadership intercalation at the University of Birmingham.

My passion for medical leadership and education developed during my intercalation, and since then, I have been dedicated to advancing undergraduate and postgraduate medical training. My particular interests within medical leadership are equality and diversity, as I strongly believe in the importance of equal training opportunities and the immense benefits of a diverse multidisciplinary team for both staff and patients.

I am committed to working with the UKFPO team to represent the voices of fellow foundation doctors, empowering us to shape our training programme and our futures. I look forward to the journey of the upcoming year and to meeting many of you along the way.

Jie Fei Lau

My name is Jie Fei and I am a F2 doctor based at Tameside General Hospital, Greater Manchester. I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and fondly remember those days as some of the best of my career so far!

Since medical school, I have always been passionate about medical education and was involved in a collaborative teaching programme for healthcare students. As a UKFPO Fellow, ensuring that all resident doctors are given protected learning opportunities to upskill themselves will be my main pursuit throughout this year. Alongside my role as a FY2 rep at the North West Foundation Forum, I look forward to representing the interests of fellow resident doctors on a regional and national level. More importantly, I am excited to have meaningful collaborations with like-minded individuals on projects that will improve the quality of foundation training. 

Outside of work, I am an avid rock climber and can be found gallivanting around the Peak District and local climbing gyms. I love cooking and hosting friends. I also love playing the piano and creative writing!

SCRIPT update

All UK foundation doctors (FD) have free access to the SCRIPT e-learning platform. If you are new to the Foundation Programme this month, you should have received an invitation to register for SCRIPT from your foundation school already. If you have not received this, please contact your foundation school.

SCRIPT Foundation is an e-learning resource designed to improve safety and competency around prescribing, therapeutics and medicines management. SCRIPT has been specifically designed for the Foundation Programme and is also mandated for PSA remediation. It is freely available to all UK FDs.

---