Survival Skills for SHO’s

The skills outlined in this website (see Practical Skills section) are the basic surgical and medical skills required as an SHO in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery . Depending on where you work and who you work with you may get experience in some or most of these areas. Ask for help if you are unsure or unhappy with any of the skills or duties you are asked to perform.

 

Teamwork is one of the keywords for any multidisciplinary approach. This is especially true when working alongside colleagues from other medical specialties. This takes into consideration whole patient care and liaising with medical colleagues about the care of patients with specific needs. Likewise, you may be called to one of the wards for an opinion about the dental problems of an inpatient under the care of another team. It is always good to be helpful in such situations, as you never know when you are likely to need an opinion from such colleagues in the future!

 

Taking an interest and finding out more about a subject will always be beneficial to you. Being asked a question on the ward about the patient you are looking after, or a conversation about a common procedure can be awkward if you  don’t know the facts. Be sure you know the basics first and try to build up your knowledge base from there. Many consultants are keen on on-the-spot viva’s—don’t come away red-faced!!!

 

Keep calm, maintain a professional and sensible manner, even if that’s not how you are feeling inside!!! Be polite even if the patient is not, and don’t be bullied into agreeing to anything you feel unhappy about. Be prepared to let the patient wait while you ask a more senior colleague for help or advice.

 

Be understood. Ensure you use words and expressions that are clear to the patient, to avoid causing confusion. If the patient attends with a carer ensure that you take the advice of the carer on board, but don’t ignore the patient by doing so. Likewise, with child patient ensure that both parent(s) and child are involving in the treatment planning and that a mutual agreement can be reached.

 

‘Do as you would be done by’. Treat patients as you would like to have your mother treated is a motto used by some. Likewise with colleagues, don’t expect them to pick up jobs you have handed over unless you don’t mind them doing the same to you! Its always nice to hand over the on call with a clean slate if you can!

 

Finally, enjoy your time as a SHO and ensure you take a break from it all when you need to. SHO’s are  now protected from working outrageously long hours, and most hospitals have restrictions on the number of staff taking holidays at the same time so you’re not lumbered with all the on call when the Christmas break comes.

 

Good luck with the job and we hope you find this site useful!

 

Not unlike jungle survival, knowing your environment and what pitfalls you’re likely to encounter puts you ahead of the game. Learning by experience is a big part of the job, and inventible the way most things are gained. Here are a few pointers to help you gain your footing and avoid the quicksand!