Authors:
- Dr Xiaoxi Zhang, ST6 Trainee, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Helgi Johannsson, Consultant Anaesthetist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- Dr Amardeep Riyat, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
- Dr Roger Sharpe, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Becoming a consultant is a stressful and vulnerable time during a doctor’s career. Negotiating a new identity, taking on ultimate responsibility for patient care, becoming the team leader rather than a team member are all difficult even in the best circumstances, especially when integrating into a new team.
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, changing the role from doctor in training to consultant became even more challenging, especially as many hospitals were at that time utterly overwhelmed. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the experiences of anaesthetists and intensivists transitioning to consultant positions during the pandemic,1 and in this article we want to share the experiences of those doctors who transitioned into their consultant roles during the absolute peak of this global crisis. Their stories offer unique insights on ways of supporting new consultants and highlight the urgent need to improve staff retention and wellbeing in today’s NHS.