7. Teaching

Question 1

Who do doctors teach?

Answer 1

• Medical students, trainees, other healthcare professionals (nurses, paramedics)
• Doctors from other specialities and GPs
• Healthcare workers (dieticians, physiotherapists, social workers)
• Admin staff (secretaries, managers)
• Patients (disease management and healthcare issues)

Question 2

Teaching opportunities

Answer 2

• Supervise other doctors on a day-to-day basis, provide guidance and decision-making support
• Help prepare junior doctors for exams through teaching classes and mock exams
• Organise departmental teaching session
• In theatre through observation, demonstrations and practice
• Surgical teaching through mannequins and videos

Question 3

Why should doctors teach?

Answer 3

(1) Teaching improves the productivity and performance of the team unit as a whole, important given the multidisciplinary nature of patient care, by sharing knowledge and skills to improve practice
In turn, this facilitates more efficient and effective patient care
(2) Medicine has both intellectual and practical dimensions. Learning from seniors therefore improves the quality of training of medical students, trainees and other healthcare professionals

Question 4

Who has had a major influence on you as a person?
What makes a good teacher?
Tell me about your worse teacher?

Answer 4

(1) Inspired
(2) Develop confidence
(3) Importance of adaptability
(4) Friendly and approachable

Question 5

Describe the hospital team

Answer 5

(1) Immediate team –> staff you will liaise with most frequently
• Senior and junior doctors
• Nurses, healthcare assistants
• Managers (bed managers, ward managers, practice managers)
• Secretaries and receptionists
• Radiographers
• Patients –> involved in decision making at all stages of their own care

Peripheral team
• Doctors from other wards in hospital
• GP  hospital specialists
• Porters
•  Dieticians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists
• Social workers, police

Question 6

What makes a good team player?

What makes a good team?

Answer 6

(1) SUPPORTIVE
It takes an empathetic and attentive person to recognize when a colleague needs help, and a giving person to offer it freely even before they ask. This makes more struggling members of the team feel valued and supported.

(2) SOMEONE WITH A SHARED COMMITMENT TO THE END GOAL
- During my work experience, I sat in a colorectal MDT, where healthcare professionals were deliberating over patient management plans. I noted that sometimes the consultants had different perspectives, but appreciated another’s input because this gave effect to their unified goal of creating the most optimal outcome for their patient.
- Such qualities I have exhibited as a campaigner in the LSE Amnesty International Society, where we often had different visions for our campaigns, but were able to find consensus given our shared commitment to the end goal

(3) COMMUNICATES CONSRUCTIVELY
E.g. in instructions with clarity to patients or when instructing colleagues, given the multidisciplinary nature of patient care

(4) ABLE TO RESPOND TO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
- Medicine is a team enterprise. As a result, its important for team members to taking on board constructive criticism and proactively looking for ways for the team to improve.
- For example, in House of Fraser my staff noted my sales pitches were initially weak, so I began memorising product descriptions to sell product, practised sales pitches verbally to boost my performance.

Question 7

Tell us about how you were effective as part of a team?

Answer 7

• As Treasurer of the Amnesty International Society, my responsibility was to oversee finances, requiring me to liaise closely with the Fundraising Team. One event the team was planning for Freshers Week was Boozy Bingo, where freshers could network with the committee and where our society could advertise itself to campus.
• An issue the team faced was that, the Fundraising team settled on a venue that I felt we were unable to afford. I disagreed with their calculations, thinking they overestimated turnout, in which case, we wouldn’t be able to fundraise on top of venue hire. This said, I knew they worked hard, so I didn’t want to criticise their suggestion without bringing a solution.
• As a result, I researched into LSE Halls of Residence that offered a venue with a similar specification: modern, large and picturesque. After settling on Bankside Halls, I then contacted their manager and negotiated from a 10% fee to allowing us to host for free.
• When reporting this back to my team, I explained why I felt their calculations were optimistic and the importance of budgeting, given that our society cannot rely on sponsors. The team understood my reservations, appreciated my research and liked my alternative. All in all, we were able to host a successful event raising £400 without spending anything on hire.
• -> Researching and negotiating skills
• -> The understanding nature of my team.

Question 8

What are the attributes of a good team leader?

Tell me about your leadership skills?

Answer 8

• I’ve held numerous leadership positions, as Mistress of the Moots in the LSE Law Society, campaign manager in the LSE Amnesty Society and training volunteers as a PALS officer.
• They set clear objectives and communicate them effectively. This ensures that the team are committed to a common goal and know what is required of them. For example, when leading human rights campaigns in the Amnesty International Society, I found it effective to keep a record stipulating everyone’s tasks at the end of every meeting.
• Stimulates the team by recognising people’s strengths, and delegating tasks accordingly. For example, when organizing career events in the Law Society, I had more extroverted characters accompany to meet Barristers or Law Firms and more artistic characters responsible for graphic design and advertisement. This maximised the group’s performance and productivity, since all tasks were completed by the person who could do the most successful job, important to ensure the perfection of our careers events where we invite high profile Barristers and professionals.
• Understands what motivates people, and uses it to stimulate the team. For example, setting deadlines, giving appraisals, giving constructive criticism. This is something I did when training PALS officers, since it gave trainees a feeling that they were making progress and their success was being seen.
• Lead by example. A team leader needs to be inspirational, and therefore embody qualities they would like to see in the team. Therefore, a leader should be enthusiastic, competent, work hard, and be helpful and friendly, so as to cultivate a sociable instead of competitive spirit in the team. This is important in Medicine, given that its only in a sociable and friendly environment in which colleagues can work together, learn from another and keep in high spirit in a physically and emotionally demanding job.

Question 9

Are you a leader or a follower?

Answer 9

• I’d say leadership comes to me most naturally because I enjoy taking initiative and taking charge. This said, I’ve acquired experience as a follower (team worker too), equipping me with skills that lend themselves to both.
• Firstly I’ve held numerous leadership positions, for example when leading human rights campaigns in the LSE Amnesty Society or when training other PALS volunteers.
• Through this, I’ve learned the importance of setting clear objectives and communicating them effectively, so that the team are committed to and end goal. For example, when leading human rights campaigns in the LSE Amnesty, I found it effective to keep a record stipulating everyone’s tasks at the end of every meting. This also taught me how to understand what motivates people to stimulate the team, through setting deadlines, giving appraisals or giving constructive criticism, and tailoring this to each team member. It also taught me how to delegate tasks according to strengths.
• In other capacities, for example as Mistress of the Moots in the Law Society where I was subordinate to executive committee members, I learned the skills that make an effective follower. This includes meeting deadlines to allow coordination in complex projects, taking initiative, offering support when colleagues need help and being responsive to constructive criticism I receive.
• All in all, I have skills that lend themselves to both. This is important in Medicine, given both the multidisciplinary approach to patient care and the opportunities to lead for example as a consultant or a teacher.

Question 10

Do you work better by yourself or as part of a team?

Answer 10

• I’d say I’m both, having had experience in each and hence acquired the skills that lend themselves to both. Actually, working in a team often requires working by yourself, e.g. when you’re delegated a task.
• I’ve exhibited teamwork as Treasurer of the Amnesty International Society, Mistress of the Moots in the LSE Law Society. These experience taught me the importance of meeting deadlines to allow coordination in complex projects, taking initiative, recognizing when colleagues need help and being responsive to constructive criticism I receive. For example, when I was a sales assistant at HOF, my team noted that my sales pitches were initially weak, dragging down the team average. I therefore memorised product descriptions from websites, in turn making me a more effective sales person. Having been receptive to my team’s criticism, I went on to be a strong salesperson within the team.
• In other capacities, I’ve worked by myself, for example as a PALS officer or coach at KEEN London. This taught me more independent skills, such as reliability, perseverance and how to handle conflict on my own. For example, as a coach, I was providing one to one support to children with disabilities. Through this, I learned how to manage behaviourally challenging athletes, through employing the correct tone of voice, patience, and through circumventing language barriers, e.g. by using Makaton sign language to calm down my athletes.
• Both teamwork and being able to work by yourself effectively are important to Medicine, given that doctors work both within teams to facilitate multidisciplinary patient care, which I witnessed in observing heart surgeries and independently too, e.g. when sitting in outpatient clinics.