NELG
North-East Employed and Locum GPs
ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN THE DEANERY
It can be difficult to access educational opportunities when working as a sessional GP however there is plenty going in both in practices and organised by PCTs. Many of these events are added to the events pages of our website. If you hear of good events please feel free to add them to the site by visiting the events page.
Please visit the Northern Deanery website to find out who your patch tutor is and request they include you in any mailings about events.
Event Alerts
As an NELG member you will also receive automatic emails about events whenever these are added to this website.
Dr Paula Wright is currently the only northern deanery GP tutor with a special remit for sessional GPs. To receive educational newsletters please email her dierctly to be added to an email mailing lists. Newsletter and events are sent out focusing mainly on Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. Dr Wright is also the deanery lead on the retainer and FCS schemes.
THE MONTHLY EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR SESSIONAL GPS- FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH
The opportunity to attend educational events with other sessional GPs is provided through the monthly educational lectures programme which is on the FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH (except January) at 8pm at the TOMLINSON TEACHING CENTRE NEWCASTLE GENERAL HOSPITAL, WESTGATE ROAD, NEWCASTLE.
From July 2008 this meeting will be moving to WALKERGATE HOSPITAL, BENFIELD ROAD (new facilities, easy parking, easy to find next to Newcastle Primary Care Trust).
THIS IS OPEN TO ALL SESSIONAL GPS- NOT JUST NELG MEMBERS.
(This follows the NELG meeting at 7pm which is for group members or intending applicants).
Northern deanery Educational newsletter for sessional GPs
.
APRIL NEWSLETTER FOR SESSIONAL gPS
.
Self Directed Learning Groups
What are they and why might I want to join one ?
1) Education and Support. They are groups of practitioners who meet regularly to address their shared professional development needs. Broadly this means meeting for educational purposes and also for peer support. For example:
a) the group may agree a set of priority topics which all are interested in receiving an update on. These are shared out amongst individual group members who bring the prepared topics to help others get up to speed.
b) each member to volunteer to keep track of a certain publication for a few months and report back with important articles.
2) Benefiting from the work of others not just your own. Everyone benefits from the collective efforts of the group rather than each practitioner having to be totally self reliant to keep up to date and feeling overwhelmed by the volume of new publication guidelines and directives published.
3) Tricky subjects are better dealt with by talking: There are particular topics which are difficult to get to grips with without discussion and exploration e.g. policy changes in the NHS such as practice based commissioning, ethical problems, professional development decisions, significant events, and complaints. We all look up different Puns and Dens and learn about new resources.
4) Motivation Because groups set topics and share them out tasks may feel more achievable which helps motivation. Peer expectations also have a beneficial effect on personal habits.
5) Isolation. Practitioners may feel isolated at work either because there are infrequent opportunities for meeting with others during working time, because they are a locum, or they are not at work when practice meetings occur, or they are the only salaried doctor in their practice. Maslow said that according to a “hierarchy of needs” individual performance is improved when people have a sense of “belonging” to a social network.
6) Revalidation is likely to impact differently on different doctors. Locums may be under special scrutiny unless they are seen to work in a managed environment. Forming a SDLG may be an important first step in this process.
What to do if you are interested ?
Complete the attached form and email it to me (Paul Wright- GP tutor) at pfwright@doctors.org.uk. It can be downloaded from the nelg website (www.nelg.org.uk) (go to education section). You are asked to indicate your current professional experience and your hopes and expectations of joining a group. Your submission will be circulated to other interested parties and you have the opportunity to contact or be contacted by other GPs.
Self directed learning group- a Guide
If you want to know more and are ready to go with your group download this guide.
Balint Groups
Balint groups provide a model for reflecting on our work to explore and understand our relationships with patients in all their complexity and ambiguity. Michael Balint described the doctor as the most potent drug and the aim of Balint work is to increase therapeutic effectiveness and develop self-awareness. It is a useful method in teaching and training.
http://www.balint.co.uk/
Co-mentoring
The aim of co-mentoring is to use a protected time and place to think creatively about work.
Two or three people meet up in a place and time where they won’t be interrupted for at least and hour; preferably allow an hour and a half to two hours. The time is structured to maximise benefit. People decide how much time they want, and then turns are taken to talk, listen, and observe if there are three people.
The listener gives their full attention, sets aside their own agenda, listens actively, facilitates the speaker’s exploration with reflection and appropriate questioning, and provides challenge and support. At the end, they help the speaker summarise and plan any action they may want to take.
The observer observes the process and gives feedback on what the speaker did that helped or was not helpful. Both speaker and listener can also reflect on the process.
When everyone who wants a turn speaking has had one, chatting and cups of tea follow as required!
Co-mentoring can be helpful in many areas:-
• Exploring and clarifying difficulties at work
• Problem solving
• In depth discussion of patients
• Managing complaints
• Managing practice issues and relationships
• Keeping home/work balance healthy
• Preparing for appraisal
• Developing and following through your PDP
• Career development
If you want to know more, look at www.primarycarechoices.org. If enough people are interested in getting started, we could run a training group. Alternatively, find a partner or trio, have a go, and contact us to come along to one of your meetings for some facilitation.
Contact HS.PCChoices@unn.ac.uk or 2156693 (Rose, our secretary)
NORLOG
A proposal by Tony Thick about support for sessional GPs from practices in the context of evidence collection for revalidation.