The Transformation from Registrar to Consultant. A Journey like No-Other.

by Guest Blogger, Dr Abrar Hussain.

Transformations can be enjoyable and exciting and they can also be challenging and difficult. Robust preparation and a degree of resilience are vital for success. The high stakes transformation from a Registrar to a Consultant is of particular importance in medicine. It is the final hurdle to independent practice and a real opportunity to set the tone for a successful career.

Registrar to consultant transformation in the current NHS is becoming increasingly difficult. The double whammy of funding cuts and an ever growing expectation to continuously innovate means the NHS faces a stringent litmus test. And new consultants need to hit the ground running to stand any chance of making a real impact.

While clinical training is well structured and performance assessed within formal frameworks, there seems to be a gap in teaching and training essential non-clinical skills. This includes interpersonal attributes, leadership & management strategies and other ‘people skills’. It’s ironic that less attention is paid to these areas despite consistent evidence that interpersonal communication is the most often cited reason for patient complaints.

So it is still very much up to individual doctors to identify their training needs so that their ‘registrar to consultant’ journey is meaningful and successful. And here is the real challenge! “The eyes don’t see what the mind doesn’t know” is possibly a good way of describing this particular blind spot. It is not surprising therefore that even the Medical Leadership Competency Framework places emphasis on personal development and reflection as the starting point for doctors in their leadership journeys.

The need therefore is to identify individual gaps and to engage with training providers to close that gap; one such course is the R2C Registrar-Consultant Transformation Programme’ from Cognitions & harrow Solutions. A sense of urgency is absolutely important to take that first step and for a Registrar looking at his/her future prospects, the time to act is now!

lightningDr Abrar Hussain is a Consultant Psychiatrist and a mentor with the Thames Valley NHS Leadership Academy and is experienced in working with clinicians to identify and overcome barriers to personal and professional development.He brings together the technical expertise of a consultant with the people skills needed to succeed in today’s NHS.

R2C. The Power of Partnership

www.cognitions.co.uk

© Abrar Hussain 2014