0:00:02 > 0:00:05Summer, 2011.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Eight junior doctors hit the wards
0:00:08 > 0:00:11of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16One year later, as they're about to move on...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18ALL: Cheers.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20..they are getting together to look back
0:00:20 > 0:00:23on the most testing year of their lives.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25You don't just develop professionally
0:00:25 > 0:00:28but actually you develop quite personally as well.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30They'll talk about the hard times...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Starting on nights was shocking.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34..the wild times...
0:00:34 > 0:00:35CHAMPAGNE CORKS POP
0:00:35 > 0:00:36CHEERING
0:00:36 > 0:00:38THEY SING
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..the things they remember...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Ready? Go.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45PATIENT CRIES IN PAIN
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Sharp, spiky thing goes in and sharp, spiky thing come out.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50BOY CRIES
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..and those they'd rather forget.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56- Get off my hand! Get off! - Alfie, Alfie, Alfie, Alfie.
0:00:56 > 0:01:03Alfie. Alfie, Alfie. Alfie. Boom, there's a needle in your face.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05..what they learnt...
0:01:05 > 0:01:09There's this myth that doctors make a lot of the decisions.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Nurses run the show, don't they? - Yeah, the nurses do run the show.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..and where they're going next.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I'm really interested in helping patients who have
0:01:17 > 0:01:19disorders of the skin.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I've seen the impact it has on their lives.
0:01:33 > 0:01:3712 months ago, these eight young people were about to take on
0:01:37 > 0:01:40the biggest challenge they'd ever faced:
0:01:40 > 0:01:43becoming junior doctors.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47They were joining thousands of other juniors across Britain,
0:01:47 > 0:01:48starting work for the first time.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54One year on, they're coming together for the last time.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56ICE CLINKS
0:01:56 > 0:01:59You don't really appreciate how much you've grown
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and developed in that short space of time.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Now you go in and the patients are,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08"Oh, you know, are you any good at this?"
0:02:08 > 0:02:10And I'm, like, "Yeah, I am good at it."
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Do it first time and they are, like, "Oh, that was really good,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15"some people are rubbish at this."
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I think we've accomplished so much. We've learned a lot.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Just about practising medicine.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Until you have to do it and it's your responsibility,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31it's completely different.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33It's just very satisfying.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Going to a procedure and knowing you are good at it
0:02:35 > 0:02:36and you can do it.
0:02:36 > 0:02:4012 months ago it was a very different story.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43If they work out that you're useless in the first few days
0:02:43 > 0:02:46then it's not a good place to be, is it?
0:02:48 > 0:02:5324-year-old Priya and 26-year-old Milla were fresh out of med school.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Until you are actually a doctor, you're not a doctor.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57You see what I mean?
0:02:57 > 0:03:01As were their fellow colleagues, Aki, Andy and Lucy.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03I've got an awful memory,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and that really is honestly something I have to work around.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09- Make sure you write everything down. - I do, but then I lose my paper!
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Sharing a house with the first years were second years Amieth and Ben.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16How did you guys feel on your first day, in your first week?
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Petrified.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22It's terrifying. And then the first set of nights, they are horrible.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Oh, no! I'm not going to ask you any more questions!
0:03:32 > 0:03:35PHONE BEEPS AND VIBRATES
0:03:35 > 0:03:37With little experience,
0:03:37 > 0:03:42all the junior doctors were about to head into the unknown.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44See you later.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46And anxious about what the day would bring.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51- You're new doctors? - Yes, my name is Lucy.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53You go straight in. Boom.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Go save that patient's life.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It's not that easy.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03At just 22-years-old, Andy was the youngest.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Going in to the first day, yeah, it was really nerve wracking.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10And straightaway he came face-to-face
0:04:10 > 0:04:13with an age-old challenge.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Fitting a device called a cannula.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Hello, Mister Straw.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23OK, so I'm going to have a go at doing a cannula, if that's all right?
0:04:23 > 0:04:27The procedure involves first finding a vein.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31OK, so sharp scratch coming up.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Then threading a hollow needle through it.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37A common task but a nerve-wracking one.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39HE TUTS
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Right, that's not in. Let's have a look at this arm, shall we?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Basically, he had to endure your lack of skill.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Yeah, yeah, I wasn't very good at cannulas.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51- Are you all right there? - Yeah, fine.- Good.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58All right, two goes, yeah?
0:04:58 > 0:04:59All right.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Mister Straw was a lovely gentleman
0:05:13 > 0:05:16who took it for the team, I have to say.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Andy's pincushion.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26So I get one more go? Yeah?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29He was just on the wrong end of someone who
0:05:29 > 0:05:30wasn't very good at doing cannulas.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50I felt for Andy. I could really understand his position.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53But my God I was, like, that poor man,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56having to go through all of that just because we're crap.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- Well, I'm crap.- No, we all were.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02HE SIGHS
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Yeah, didn't manage to get it in again
0:06:04 > 0:06:06so that's kind of annoying but...
0:06:06 > 0:06:12I guess I'm glad I persisted because you've just got to do it
0:06:12 > 0:06:15and I'm going to get one of the others to come and have a go.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20And then, yeah, hey, next time.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23I think he took it really well.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It could be the beginning of a downward slope
0:06:25 > 0:06:31but I think you took it on the chin, picked himself up and went on.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33I basically can't walk around the hospital
0:06:33 > 0:06:37without getting cannula jokes everyday.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39No, you can't!
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It wasn't only the first year doctors who were struggling.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- Who's your favourite Star Wars character?- Darth Vader.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Second year Ben was about to meet a young patient called Alfie.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- All right there, Alfie?- Hi.- Hiya.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Have you still got that magic cream on?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- No.- No, it's all gone, good.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Working with children was Ben's dream job.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09So he needed to prove he had a winning way.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I'm going to spray this on your arm, OK, it's just cold spray. Ready?
0:07:12 > 0:07:14It will make it go numb in a minute.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Alfie was a young boy who needed a big operation on his bowels,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23so he needed part of his intestines taken out.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I essentially had to put a cannula in him.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27What's that?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30It's a little needle I need to put in your hand
0:07:30 > 0:07:31so we can give you some medication.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Do you want to hold mummy's hand and lie back as we do it?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- It's cold.- Just put this down, OK.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40So you've got the cream on so it shouldn't hurt,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41it should be all right.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Look at mummy, there we go. Alfie.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46I can't do it!
0:07:46 > 0:07:50HE CRIES
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Can't do it! Get off my hand!
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Alfie, Alfie, Alfie.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Alfie, Alfie. Alfie, Alfie, Alfie. Alfie.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Boom, there's a needle in your face.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08I don't want it on there. I don't want it!
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Alfie, we'll do it very quickly, we'll get it over and done with.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It was a nightmare. It was late at night, end of an on-call.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I just did it badly.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Don't be silly.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I don't like it here.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26I know, but come here and me and you will go for a walk.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Rather than make sure he was completely still,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I should have found a vein, had him calm and just gone ahead and done it.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33He's got local anaesthetic on his hand,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36he's not going to feel it anyway so just do it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Mum. I'm not doing it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Nowadays I'd just go ahead and put the cannula in the back of his hand
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and that would be that, rather than build-up to it and him get stressed.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- It's all right, we're not putting any needles in you today.- Why?
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Maybe he needed that one experience where he had that difficult child
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and all the future Alfies he has to put the big needle in,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58he'll know exactly how to deal with them.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59See you later, Alfie.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02Alfie, Alfie.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06All anyone ever bloody says to me is Alfie, Alfie, Alfie, Alfie.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Alfie, Alfie, Alfie.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12All junior doctors have to manage the transition
0:09:12 > 0:09:16from textbook knowledge to practical application, and it's not easy.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I had it for a second there.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Learning how to put it into practice is a whole new ballgame.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25It's terrifying to encounter that for the first time.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31I think your scariest moments are when people expect you to be able
0:09:31 > 0:09:34to manage and you feel for the first time that you're on your own.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I was quite confident with my medical knowledge but what I perhaps
0:09:41 > 0:09:46was less confident in was how you actually then apply it in real life.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51First year Aki tried to brace himself by doing some
0:09:51 > 0:09:53last-minute swotting up.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56I'm going to be a little bit nervous on the first day
0:09:56 > 0:09:59so I just want to make sure that I'm prepared.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03At the start of the year I wasn't very confident at all.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I was really worried about not doing my job right.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Pissing all my colleagues off.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11SECURITY LOCK BEEPS
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Harming patients.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I don't think her blood tests are back
0:10:15 > 0:10:18or she might have not had them done this morning.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Just hours into his first shift,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Aki got a grilling by a senior doctor.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Before we do that, which trial evidence do you know of
0:10:27 > 0:10:30for use of atorvastatin in acute coronary syndrome?
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Erm...
0:10:36 > 0:10:40There was a time when I knew so many studies.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- I know this doesn't help. - When was that time?
0:10:42 > 0:10:43About two months ago.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48That time has come and gone already. It's only your first day.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52No one knows that stuff. No one.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53I know now.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I happen to have a friend who's quite interested in becoming
0:10:56 > 0:11:00a cardiologist and he didn't even know about it until afterwards.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It's an apprenticeship so you get asked by your seniors about,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06do you know how to do this,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09do you know what drug you're supposed to give this kind of condition.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11You are constantly tested.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17As well as working together,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20the eight junior doctors shared a house in south-west London.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26It was a bit like being back in university halls.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31It was a very interesting experience living with the guys in the house.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34It was a complete range of different characters.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37When I'm ill I know I get really princessy and moany.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39When you're ill?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41SHE LAUGHS
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I loved moving in with seven people.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It made the whole thing very entertaining. It was like a sitcom.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Living together allowed the juniors to chew over pressing issues.
0:11:51 > 0:11:57Lucy, if it was your last day on earth, who would you sleep with?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01You could all relate to each other.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03We knew what each other was going through.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Just being able to discuss your day and laugh at things,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09I think that was a massive boost.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12And just to see you weren't alone in feeling completely inadequate.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13It was really nice.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Men should stay at home and do the cooking and women should go out
0:12:16 > 0:12:17and become good doctors.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22No two colleagues got on better than Andy and Aki.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26It's been really hectic on the surgical unit.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- Are you, like, down on men, manpower, as in are people away?- No!
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Yeah, no, we've been really busy.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36We haven't been down on men,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40I certainly haven't been down on any men.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Aki and Andy's bromance was beautiful.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47# You're just too good to be true... #
0:12:47 > 0:12:51When I was at school, I was in this pop punk band.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Really? That's hilarious. Same.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56No, bullshit!
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Andy and Aki have a special relationship, don't you?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- I wouldn't say it was a special relationship.- I would.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04- Just a friendship.- I would say it was special.- It's a friendship.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05- Aki.- What?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Screw being a doctor, let's become rock stars!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- You definitely had a bromance with Aki.- You reckon?- Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Oh, wow!
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- Dude you look...- What?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19It's good, we did good.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25- Within the house, Andy and I got on very well.- Yeah.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Shall I go blazer or leather jacket?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32- There's a lot of man love.- Well...
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- There is.- Is there?- Yeah. - All right, take it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38We didn't touch each other if that's what you're asking.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- You look good.- Thanks.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44Let's get our game on, bitches.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Whilst live at the house may have been fun,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52their jobs were demanding and stressful.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53PHONE RINGS
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Chelsea.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And none more so than for second year Amieth.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Laid-back by nature, he was working in A&E,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05where quick decisions are vital.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Could you tell me what happened to you today?
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- I fell down about 15 or 20 stairs. - Really?
0:14:12 > 0:14:17He ran through the standard checks and decided on a course of action.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I had wanted to get a CT scan on him
0:14:20 > 0:14:23to look for any bleeding into the brain
0:14:23 > 0:14:26because there were lots of risk factors for that
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and he had some slightly alarming clinical signs.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Yeah, I think so.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Yeah.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39All right, shall we stitch first then?
0:14:39 > 0:14:40Can I do it?
0:14:43 > 0:14:45I think we'll be able to make you pretty again.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47MAN CHUCKLES
0:14:47 > 0:14:50So now we just have to make small talk for a few minutes.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It's very difficult starting off as a doctor
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and you need to do everything you can to make your job easier.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04Using the nurses and their experience is just one way
0:15:04 > 0:15:05of making the job much easier.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It didn't take long for the junior doctors to realise how much
0:15:10 > 0:15:12they needed the nurses.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13Can I possibly borrow you?
0:15:15 > 0:15:17- Am I right or not?- That's right.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19It's twist and pull, isn't it?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23There's this myth that, you know, doctors make a lot of decisions
0:15:23 > 0:15:24and they do a lot of things.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27- Nurses run the show, don't they? - Yeah, the nurses do run the show.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29What enema do you tend to give? And we'll prescribe the one
0:15:29 > 0:15:31that you tend to use, because we're both new.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33- Usually phosphate. - Just a phosphate enema, OK.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And we're just like their minions.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40We'd go to the nurses a lot in those first few days.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Maybe I wasn't clear enough verbally. I thought I said but...
0:15:43 > 0:15:45No, but nurses should still be reading the notes.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46- Don't blame yourself.- All right.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I am referring, not I would like to refer, I AM referring.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Make an enemy of a nurse at your peril.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57They'll make your life miserable if you start to piss them all off.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00But I don't think that happens that often.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Well, not that often.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Don't get too friendly with them either.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Even with the support of a team, the days were taxing.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20But more daunting were the nights.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25First to run the gauntlet was Milla.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31It's not like the daytime when you have your colleagues around you
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and it's a lot easier to ask for help.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37All doctors on call are given a crash bleep, which alerts them
0:16:37 > 0:16:40to medical emergencies. Milla hadn't used one before.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43But you just double-press the green button.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- And it's definitely going to go off? - It will definitely go off.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- OK.- Or you'd be very lucky if it never went off.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- So this is how it begins? - This is how it begins.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56BEEPING OK. OK.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Starting on nights was, for me, shocking.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03BEEPING
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Oh my God, I'm not going to get my jobs done!
0:17:06 > 0:17:09You're not supported by an entire team so you start on your own
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and you have to deal with all the emergencies.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13BEEPING
0:17:13 > 0:17:15This is my new best friend, Mr Beep.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20He basically doesn't stop bothering me.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23BEEPING It's just one bleep after another.
0:17:23 > 0:17:30Mr Bleep still goes off all the time. You can't get away with it!
0:17:30 > 0:17:32I now go to the supermarket
0:17:32 > 0:17:36and from the check out I literally think a bleep's going off somewhere.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39To run off and answer ten million beeps.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41BEEPING
0:17:45 > 0:17:49And Milla's difficult night was only just beginning.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Somebody called me up to come and certify, I think, a death.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57I had to do some, I think, really quite challenging things.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Things that I would never have experienced before,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03including sort of having to certify a death.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I mean, it's my first night.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07If you can help me out, I'd be most grateful.
0:18:24 > 0:18:25He was still warm.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27So I think that's kind of...
0:18:27 > 0:18:29It's probably part of the really scary bit
0:18:29 > 0:18:35because you kind of... You expect them to have a pulse,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37so it's quite weird.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Yeah, just to look into his eyes and stuff...
0:18:40 > 0:18:43So, yeah, quite shocking actually.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I guess I didn't really expect that on my first night.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52And Milla's stress levels were about to go up a notch.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57That's it. Fantastic. OK.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06'Cardiac arrest. A&E Resus. Cardiac arrest.'
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Oh my God, I don't have a card. Shit!
0:19:17 > 0:19:21When your crash bleep goes off you literally see yourself running
0:19:21 > 0:19:24to the crash call and you look up in the corridors in the hospital
0:19:24 > 0:19:27to see whether there's anyone else running.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31A patient was in cardiac arrest.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35but Milla was four floors up on the other side of the hospital.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Hello, Milla. How's it going?
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Hello. Good, you let me know if you need me to do anything.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Milla arrived just in time to help Amieth and the A&E team.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Point 99. PTO twos.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54She was given the job of monitoring the patient's heart rate.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Basically says minus 24.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- I still need to continue. - Are you happy in your job?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Yeah, I am, thank you. - It's the most important job going.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And after an hour she had helped stabilise them.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13- Anything else I can do?- No, thank you very much.- Thanks very much.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15You can't take those first few nights back,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18you'll never experience them again.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22But I don't think that I did anything that I would do differently now
0:20:22 > 0:20:25but I think that I can now deal with things much quicker.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34At the front line of this intense job, it was crucial to switch off.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37But the junior doctors soon realised that their chosen career
0:20:37 > 0:20:40was going to have a big impact on their personal lives.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50It's really difficult to plan a social life around this rota.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54You're supposed to finish at a certain time but you rarely ever do.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Hello, I've just been bleeped. It's Lucy.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Hi, it's Ben, I was just bleeped.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Well, in every job, when you start, you have days where you're just like,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14"This is awful, I hate it, I'm miserable."
0:21:15 > 0:21:19And it's now 2am, so this is my cereal.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23Unfortunately, I think I've lost my life completely in the last year.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25I got four bleeps just then.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I just think you get completely immersed in work
0:21:27 > 0:21:29and you forget what's outside of it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32I'm already sleepy.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- Can I hand over this patient to you? - Yeah, of course, man, no worries.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I just... I think that I'm so tired now after the ten days.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44It's a very conscious effort to maintain your life outside of work.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50So when they did get a chance to go out they really went to town.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- I've been looking forward to tonight so much.- Going to get trashed?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59That's the biggest balls up you've made in the last 12 days!
0:21:59 > 0:22:03And I think it's absolutely crucial, especially in a job like ours,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05to have things to look forward to.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Cos we know how hard we work.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11THEY SING KARAOKE
0:22:16 > 0:22:20When it came to party planning, Chelsea girl Milla led the way.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Hello. Hi. Thank you for coming.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26- Oh, do you remember the bhaji thing? - I do.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- Thank you so much for organising that.- Oh, you're welcome.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31CHEERING
0:22:31 > 0:22:37She bestowed upon us the honour of teaching us this amazing skill.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Across the bottle. Priya, come on!
0:22:41 > 0:22:46CHEERING It was a completely bizarre party with the champagne
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and the swords and Milla being...Milla.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Work life balance is hard.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54You can end up in hospital all the time, go home,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56you carry on working actually
0:22:56 > 0:23:00and end up going a little bit crazy and it is hard to balance.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- Ready?- Yeah.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I wouldn't say I've got the work- life balance right just yet, no.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14The doctors were bonding with each other.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18On the wards they also had to build relationships with patients.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22It doesn't look like there's any wax or cotton in there.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It felt as if someone had taken me lungs out,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27given them a good kicking and put them back in.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Can you point to where the pain was?
0:23:30 > 0:23:34And from day one it was clear that Lucy was a natural
0:23:34 > 0:23:36when it came to bedside manner.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39I just feel like I need to get older because, at the moment,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41when I'm talking to 80-year-olds and telling them
0:23:41 > 0:23:44what they should be doing, I feel quite young.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Lucy was based in the General Medical Ward
0:23:49 > 0:23:51where she treated mostly older patients.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56You're 97 and doing everything on your own. Can't complain.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58I shall be 100 soon.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01'I think my first job offered me what I enjoy,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03'so just the nature of the job'
0:24:03 > 0:24:05meant there was a lot of elderly people
0:24:05 > 0:24:07that had very long stays in hospital.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11At just 25, Lucy had to give advice and support.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13I wonder whether I'll be able to manage when I get home.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15That's exactly why I want to talk to you.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I manage to kind of foster relationships with people that
0:24:20 > 0:24:23actually, they give you quite a lot of slack,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27so as a first job, people were very patient with me.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- Do you know where my eyebrows are? - Do I know where they are?
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- Yeah.- I think I can probably guess.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34'But you slowly gain confidence
0:24:34 > 0:24:37'and the fact that you'd go in and people would know you'
0:24:37 > 0:24:41and they enjoy seeing you and you would enjoy seeing them
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and that kind of stuff I am a completely softy for really.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45I just really enjoyed it.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I'll draw the curtain round and have a listen to your breathing.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51We've taken him off his oxygen to see what he's saturating at
0:24:51 > 0:24:52so he's been a bit better.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57From her first day, Lucy cared for a 92-year-old patient
0:24:57 > 0:24:58called Robert Beck.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01He was suffering from a chest infection.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- Stick your tongue out. Did you have breakfast this morning?- Not yet.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09- Oh, you haven't had any breakfast? - No.- Not even a cup of tea?
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- I had a cup of tea, yes.- OK, that's what medical students are for.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Would you mind getting some tea and biscuits for Mr Beck, please?
0:25:16 > 0:25:21- Thank you. How do you take your teeth?- Milk, no sugar.- Well done.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- No sugar.- OK, it's coming up.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Robert Beck was a patient that was there for a long time
0:25:25 > 0:25:26during my first job.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Over that time you get to know things about people,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and he would tell you about...
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Well, he'd tell me about his insecurities and about his worries
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and you can't help but really grow very fond of somebody
0:25:39 > 0:25:40and empathise with them.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Do you?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Let me shut the curtains and we'll have a proper chat.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52I'm a bundle of nerves.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Are you? What are you nervous about?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11What's just round the corner?
0:26:12 > 0:26:14I don't think so.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19I know it's a little bit miserable being in here.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24It's just a matter of keeping going.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26And you look good.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27You do.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33The secret is, Robert, I like having you here and we want to keep you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37But I certainly don't want you to be nervous.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I know. I know it's human nature.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I don't think it's pleasant for anybody, being in hospital.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I'm sorry it's been like that.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I know you do.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16You've been in here now though for about two and a half weeks
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and because you've been in for that long I want to carry on
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and make sure that you get home and you stay at home and you're well.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Because I think we can do that. Honestly I do.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I feel very privileged when people put their trust in you, actually.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42I think it's such a privilege.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I think it still touches me now, actually.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47I still think, God, it's a great job for that.
0:27:49 > 0:27:50People are in hospital
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and that is the worst time of their lives and we forget that.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Oh, yeah, especially when you've got 20 patients.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58We just waltz in and waltz out.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02You don't have to scratch the surface very far at all with most patients
0:28:02 > 0:28:04and they do have massive insecurities
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and worries and concerns and stresses
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and I think they always appreciate it if you just spend a bit of time.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And are you warm enough? Because you feel quite cold.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13My friend asked me,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17"If my mum becomes sick, can you make sure Lucy looks after her?"
0:28:17 > 0:28:22If my mum's sick, I'll make sure... I would pay Lucy to look after her.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25- And I'll see you later. You enjoy that tea.- OK, love.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I'm honoured to be her friend.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Like Lucy, Milla was learning the art
0:28:33 > 0:28:36of putting patients at their ease.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40In Dermatology, she saw a patient with severe psoriasis.
0:28:40 > 0:28:41It's quite smelly, isn't it?
0:28:41 > 0:28:45A skin condition which needed treatment with coal tar.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47How often do you have this done?
0:28:54 > 0:28:58- So you had psoriasis for that long? - Yes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03He was just the most loveliest man who had dealt with this condition
0:29:03 > 0:29:06for so many years and I think more shockingly
0:29:06 > 0:29:12he obviously was, you know, was struggling dealing with it.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14How does it affect you physically?
0:29:33 > 0:29:35You said both physically and mentally.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00- And so 40 years, you said? - Yeah, about 40 years now.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04- Wow. And you're still smiling. - Yeah, I'm still smiling, yes. Yeah.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06It was really quite upsetting,
0:30:06 > 0:30:10some of the things that he shared with me regarding his wife
0:30:10 > 0:30:12and regarding his children.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14I think sometimes we don't realise
0:30:14 > 0:30:19how much different medical conditions affect people and their lives.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26And Milla has decided that dermatology
0:30:26 > 0:30:29is going to be her chosen career path.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- OK?- Is that all done?
0:30:32 > 0:30:34- No, not yet, that was just the anaesthetic.- Oh, right.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37But that was it, I promise you that was the worst bit,
0:30:37 > 0:30:39you shouldn't feel anything else now.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42The fact that it's something that people can see
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and it's something that, you know, we can do something about...
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Because a lot of these conditions are really debilitating for people
0:30:49 > 0:30:50because they are visible.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52And we can do something about it.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03As well as rewarding, patient contact could also be challenging.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Starting out as a junior doctor is very daunting
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and there's lots of trepidation about what's going to happen
0:31:09 > 0:31:12and how you deal with things as they occur.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15And Sameer was about to meet a patient
0:31:15 > 0:31:17who would test his bedside manner.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22I will. I will talk to you first.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28So just to introduce myself - I'm Sameer, I'm one of the doctors.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30So where's the pain?
0:31:38 > 0:31:40So does anything make the pain worse or better?
0:31:55 > 0:31:59I just need to make sure I've got the whole story.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02- But I will be as quick as I can. - Of course.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06'I knew you'd need to have difficult conversations with patients.'
0:32:06 > 0:32:09There's always going to be a couple of patients
0:32:09 > 0:32:12that you're not going to... You know.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16Perhaps not enjoy talking to, but they're going to be difficult.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19I want to talk a bit about the drug use.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24How long have you been using and what kind of drugs have you...?
0:32:36 > 0:32:38It's just... It would be helpful...
0:32:38 > 0:32:40It's just questions we ask everyone.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44Well, no, there's a reason for it.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48No, no, it's because...
0:32:49 > 0:32:50I-I...
0:32:53 > 0:32:55OK.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Don't worry, we don't have to talk about it in that case.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04OK, can I just move on to...?
0:33:07 > 0:33:10'He did take me on a ride a bit and he was quite difficult with me
0:33:10 > 0:33:13'and I did feel a bit uncomfortable on the inside,'
0:33:13 > 0:33:17but I think sometimes that part of the doctors' job
0:33:17 > 0:33:21is to keep control of the situation.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27That patient was trying to engage with him
0:33:27 > 0:33:29and was just been very challenging.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32And he stayed quite calm, and I think he managed him
0:33:32 > 0:33:36as well as anyone could have done, to be honest.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39'I know exactly what to say now if that were to happen again,'
0:33:39 > 0:33:42but I guess I didn't when that did happen.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47A lot of the time, difficult patients are being difficult
0:33:47 > 0:33:52because of anxiety and fear about being in hospital and being unwell.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54And once you kind of get past that
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and you address their particular concerns,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59then they become a lot easier.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Um, it is something that I'm becoming a bit more used to,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05but there are always certain patients that you just find
0:34:05 > 0:34:08you don't quite make that connection with.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17..a test to a blood stent, please.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19For all the junior doctors,
0:34:19 > 0:34:23new experiences were coming thick and fast.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Chest drains are quite nasty, OK? So really keep anaesthetic, all right?
0:34:27 > 0:34:30OK. Just so you know, I haven't done this before.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32- I will talk you through it.- OK. Yep.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37Aki was asked to carry out an advanced and difficult chest drain.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- My God.- What's that?
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- Chest drain. Have you done one? - Yeah. You'll love it.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48I'm sure I will(!) Thanks, see you tomorrow.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I think was really nice that I was given the opportunity
0:34:51 > 0:34:53to do something a bit exciting really early on,
0:34:53 > 0:34:57because it kind of sets you up for the whole year, really.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02The crucial thing was to put the patient at ease.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I'm going to really honest with you, this is...
0:35:05 > 0:35:07I don't want to scare you...
0:35:07 > 0:35:10- This is the first time you've done this?- Yes.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12"I don't want you to worry, but I've never done this before."
0:35:12 > 0:35:15"Oh, well, that's fine then, I feel completely at ease about it."
0:35:15 > 0:35:17"It's extremely dangerous and you might die.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19"But I've never done it before but it's fine."
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Aki had to pierce the chest from behind, avoiding vital organs.
0:35:25 > 0:35:26So...
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Put that in, and then with your needle,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33you are going to go straight in, perpendicular to the skin.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35- Like that.- Mm-hm.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39- We're going to give it a try now. - Can you feel that?- No.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Hold the needle, remember not to let go of that guard.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Push it through, twiddle, twiddle, twiddle.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48- Sorry.- How are you doing there?
0:35:48 > 0:35:52- It's hurting a bit. - Is that bearable?- Just.- OK.
0:35:55 > 0:36:00Take a big breath in for me please? You can see it's swinging, yeah?
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Good. Well done.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06- Congratulations.- Thank you very much.- Your first drain.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08It was my first drain.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11I'm really, really proud of Aki, he did really, really well,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14and actually the patient was really comfortable as well
0:36:14 > 0:36:16and that's really satisfying, so, no, job well done.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18# I wanna sing... #
0:36:18 > 0:36:21That was...really cool.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25# I wanna scream till the words dry out... #
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Job done!
0:36:27 > 0:36:30'When everyone else is wondering around,
0:36:30 > 0:36:31'filling in bits of paper, looking lost,'
0:36:31 > 0:36:35you're there, sticking bloody great needles into someone's chest,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39and walking around like you own the place!
0:36:42 > 0:36:45I think every year I have a moment where I think,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47"Oh, my God, this is the best job ever."
0:36:50 > 0:36:54I think Aki was somewhat of an excited puppy dog, wasn't he?
0:36:54 > 0:36:56- After he'd done that chest drain! - SHE LAUGHS
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- How are you?- I am exhausted,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02- but I'm really happy, I just put a chest drain in!- Oh my gosh, wow!
0:37:02 > 0:37:04That's exciting.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07'I was very surprised, slightly jealous,'
0:37:07 > 0:37:11because, you know, it's quite a challenging procedure.
0:37:11 > 0:37:16- I haven't done one since.- No. Take the opportunity when you get it!
0:37:16 > 0:37:21So when I go into my second year, in a new hospital,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24everyone's going to be like, "Oh, Aki, chest drain.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26"Standard, right? Just whack one out, why don't you?"
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I'll be like, "I've never done one since."
0:37:28 > 0:37:31I think Aki dealt with the situation really well.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32It's difficult. It's nerve wracking.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34We've all been in that situation,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36where you are doing a procedure for the first time.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Yet you have to exceed confidence
0:37:38 > 0:37:40otherwise your patient doesn't have confidence in you.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43'It's coming up to a year, now, of being a doctor.'
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Some things repeat itself.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And the more you do it, the more confident you become.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51'It's a positive spiral.'
0:37:52 > 0:37:54And I just hope that continues.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57As they gained more experience,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01the junior doctors' confidence started growing.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05In A&E, Amieth now had a few months under his belt.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08PHONE RINGS Hello, A&E resus.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12Just as well, given the case he was about to face.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16A waitress had been admitted to A&E -
0:38:16 > 0:38:18her hand had been impaled with a spike.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Make sure you keep all the receipts.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25I was going to say, are these the chits or just the counter slips?
0:38:25 > 0:38:29Oh, no, they'll need them for their records!
0:38:29 > 0:38:33- I liked your joke as well, "Keep the receipts."- It wasn't a joke.- OK.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36I actually wanted... You know, I thought they might be important.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40'And if you just throw them away, the whole business goes under,'
0:38:40 > 0:38:44so not only is she out of a job, she's also got a spike in her hand.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46You can just take this out.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48OK.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51What we'll do is get a decent pair of pliers.
0:38:51 > 0:38:52It's very deep, though...
0:38:52 > 0:38:56'I'd actually anticipated sending her to the operating theatre
0:38:56 > 0:38:58'to do that, and then the registrar turned around'
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and said "Oh, no, you can do it, just go and get some pliers."
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Get further down and a bit more in the middle, that's it,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06right, now I'll tell you when...
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Ready? Go.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10PATIENT MOANS
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Sharp spiky thing goes in and sharp spiky thing comes out.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18- You've taken it out? - I managed to get it out, yeah.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Oh, my God, well done, you!
0:39:21 > 0:39:25I've certainly learnt to work on my own a lot more this year,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29and I'm certainly much more comfortable in dealing with
0:39:29 > 0:39:31many different sorts of problems.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35- PRIYA:- 'The funny thing is you and I are both doing A&E next year,'
0:39:35 > 0:39:37- and I don't know how...- I know.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39You get faced with anything and everything.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41That's what we've seen with Amieth.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44We've seen Amieth go through it, we've learnt a few things from him.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45You have to be so versatile.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47You have to adapt to the situation
0:39:47 > 0:39:51and, you know, get out the toolkit and just get on with it.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Right, let's run through this list, cos I want a good day.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Like Amieth, Andy was being given more responsibility...
0:40:00 > 0:40:01on the night shift.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12My SHO, he was like, "We're going to get a bit of sleep
0:40:12 > 0:40:16"and then you can run the show," so I'm just a bit like, "Oh, God!"
0:40:20 > 0:40:21Ah, thank you. Cheers.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24On his patient list was 22-year-old Cristobel.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26So tell me what's been going on then?
0:40:26 > 0:40:30At five o'clock today, some cramps started.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33If I move or if I cough, or if I laugh or anything like that,
0:40:33 > 0:40:34then it really hurts.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37- Point me exactly where? - The middle, just here.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Underneath the belly button, around here.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41I need to have a feel of your tummy now.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43She had severe abdominal pains.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- Ow.- Sorry.- Ow!
0:40:46 > 0:40:47That's painful there, is it?
0:40:47 > 0:40:52It could have been appendicitis or just some non-specific pain.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54BEEPING
0:40:56 > 0:41:00The patient I saw earlier has fainted.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01But a few hours later,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04her stomach pains had taken a turn for the worse.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08Hi.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10She just looked awful, and I thought, you know,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13"There's really something seriously wrong here."
0:41:13 > 0:41:16So we need some gel infusion, get some oxygen as well, please.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19That's when the sort of real training kicks in.
0:41:19 > 0:41:20OK...
0:41:20 > 0:41:22No, what's been happening with your chest?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31OK, can we get an ECG as well? Thanks.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34'I think the moment where I realised
0:41:34 > 0:41:38'that I did have some responsibility there'
0:41:38 > 0:41:40was when the nurses have done their bit,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43they've got her into bed, called the doctor, and they're standing,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46waiting for you to make that decision, "What do we do now?"
0:41:46 > 0:41:47Then you think,
0:41:47 > 0:41:52"Right, I'd better get on and do something to help this girl."
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Andy suspected an internal bleed, and called his senior for back up.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00She's had a faint and her blood pressure's dropped,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04she's looking very pale, I just thought I'd call you sooner
0:42:04 > 0:42:06rather than later about this because I think she looks quite ill.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10If Andy was right, the condition could have been fatal.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12'So he gave her fluids, he got her comfortable,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14'he gave her pain killers, and actually stabilised her
0:42:14 > 0:42:17'so that the gynaecology surgeons could come in'
0:42:17 > 0:42:21and deal with the problem in a sort of more definitive way.
0:42:24 > 0:42:25Based on Andy's diagnosis,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28a specialist surgery team took over her care.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32I don't think he realises what he's done there,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34like, what he's achieved,
0:42:34 > 0:42:37because he's being really nonchalant about it,
0:42:37 > 0:42:39but that was pretty cool, what he did.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42After three months of living together,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46the junior doctors were starting to feel like a family...
0:42:46 > 0:42:47SHE LAUGHS
0:42:47 > 0:42:51..and really getting to know each other's quirks.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53There's quite a variety of characters in there.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I think I've only noticed that on reflection.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- No, you definitely mentioned it all the way through.- Did I?- Yeah.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02But now... OK, well I had an unusually high tolerance level
0:43:02 > 0:43:03over that time.
0:43:03 > 0:43:08Sameer is somewhat quirky. He's rather awkward.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12If you weren't doctors, what would be your ideal job?
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Um, I'd be Batman.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18He completely recognises what he's saying is a bit odd
0:43:18 > 0:43:22or, you know, a bit satirical, but who cares, he doesn't care.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25The stuff he comes out with is magical.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29And why, Sameer? Why would you be Batman?
0:43:29 > 0:43:34I went into medicine so I could help people from disease,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37and if I couldn't do that, I'd like to help them from...
0:43:37 > 0:43:39save them from organised crime.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41Right.
0:43:42 > 0:43:46While Sameer kept the house amused, Priya kept the house fed.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52My mum tends to cook a lot of food for me and send it down to London.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55Priya could never eat all of it, so she always gave it to us,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57and we appreciated that, so thank you, Priya,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59and thank you, Priya's mum.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02I hope you enjoy my curry attempts.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04- LUCY:- This looks so nice.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09Priya is so conscientious, can sometimes be a little bit ditzy,
0:44:09 > 0:44:10but that combination's lovely.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15I think this is my road.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18Parking wasn't one of Priya's strong points.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23- Oh, man!- Are you still going to park it there?
0:44:24 > 0:44:26I always thought, when I was a child,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28that I've got very good spatial awareness.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31You're quite far away from the curb, Priya.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33Maybe my mirrors aren't set right.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35You need to go that way a bit and get flush with the curb.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38- I don't know what that means. - Right, OK, turn the wheel a bit.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40- Which way?- That way.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42- You're looking behind, yeah?- Yeah.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45OK. Stop!
0:44:47 > 0:44:50- Good work, team. - Good work, Andy. High five.- Yeah.
0:44:50 > 0:44:51I'm just not very good.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58But parking was the least of Priya's problems.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01On the wards, she was about to be given
0:45:01 > 0:45:03an even bigger test of agility...
0:45:03 > 0:45:06I'm going to ask her if she's had bloods.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11..by taking blood from a patient with notoriously small veins.
0:45:11 > 0:45:12OK. Right.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16Throughout their early months, most of the junior doctors found
0:45:16 > 0:45:19taking blood a surprisingly difficult task.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21When you learn how to take blood, you learn it on models.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24You do it a few kinds at medical school,
0:45:24 > 0:45:25and then you're expected to go out
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- and do it for real on patients aren't you?- Yeah.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31And you know, the models you have at medical school,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34the veins are literally like...
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- Like drainpipes.- Yeah, drainpipes, it's impossible to miss.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40And then when you get into the real world you realise that
0:45:40 > 0:45:42patients are elderly, they're sick, they're shut down,
0:45:42 > 0:45:44you're not going got find veins that easily.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Let's go.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48But the juniors were no longer fresh out of med school,
0:45:48 > 0:45:51and Priya had to prove herself as a doctor.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54She's so difficult to get blood from that the phlebotomists,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56who are the trained experts in getting blood,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59they would often say to her, "If I get blood from you today,
0:45:59 > 0:46:01"you have to take me out on a date."
0:46:02 > 0:46:04We've all been in that situation where
0:46:04 > 0:46:10patients either have very, very tiny veins or you can't even see them.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13I was basically set up for failure.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18A sharp scratch.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22- You OK?- Ooh.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25- OK?- Egads!
0:46:25 > 0:46:28- Oh.- It's all right. - What happened?- Keep going.
0:46:28 > 0:46:33- No, no, no, no.- You're not stopping it.- I withdrew it.- Why?
0:46:33 > 0:46:35You moved a little bit and you screamed!
0:46:35 > 0:46:39- Don't be a quitter, cos I'm not quitting.- OK, I will try again.
0:46:39 > 0:46:40A sharp scratch.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45- Let me know if it hurts too much. - No, it's fine.
0:46:47 > 0:46:48Still fishing.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- Have you got it?- I've got some.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58Oh, well done! Yes!
0:47:00 > 0:47:04- Isn't she wonderful? - YOU'RE wonderful.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06For tolerating having a needle stuck...
0:47:06 > 0:47:08Did you get enough, though?
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Yes, I did. I've got more than enough.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15'At that time, it felt like a good achievement,'
0:47:15 > 0:47:18simply because everyone else was struggling.
0:47:18 > 0:47:19I mean, right now I look back at it
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and think that it was just a simple, mundane task,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24but, at that time, it felt rewarding
0:47:24 > 0:47:26and I felt like I was winning for once.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28I just did what is the impossible,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31I managed to take blood from Mrs Tristholt.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36'Probably one of the most conscientious doctors that...'
0:47:36 > 0:47:37I know of, actually.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41She's good. She really is good.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44But, however, you'll never see me parking in a straight line, ever,
0:47:44 > 0:47:46that's one promise I can never make.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Priya's latest placement is in Dermatology.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59If you feel any pain let me know, I'll stop straight away
0:47:59 > 0:48:03and I'll put a little bit more local anaesthetic to numb it, OK?
0:48:03 > 0:48:07It's the area she's decided to specialise in.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09'I'm really interested in helping patients
0:48:09 > 0:48:11'who have disorders of the skin,'
0:48:11 > 0:48:14because I've seen the impact it has on their lives.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17It's just a little hole, it looks a bit unsightly now,
0:48:17 > 0:48:19but what we'll do is we'll put a stitch in it
0:48:19 > 0:48:20and in time it will heal over, OK?
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Like Priya,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32second year Ben had made some big decisions about the future too.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Probably best if we get you holding her.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38After getting a chance to work with children,
0:48:38 > 0:48:39Ben wanted to make his dream
0:48:39 > 0:48:43of specialising in paediatrics a reality.
0:48:43 > 0:48:44Hey there.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Sorry! Sorry.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51- That was easier than expected.- Yep.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54All built up for it to be a nightmare!
0:48:54 > 0:48:57I think you can see his real passion for the job,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59I think when you see somebody do that,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02you just think, "THAT'S why you should do something that you love."
0:49:05 > 0:49:08But he still needed to stand out to get ahead
0:49:08 > 0:49:10in this highly competitive field.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Quite a big deal for me, but it's also terrifying.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17So he put himself in the limelight,
0:49:17 > 0:49:22presenting new research to an audience of top paediatric surgeons.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25'I remember Ben having to make a presentation to
0:49:25 > 0:49:28'sort of a national conference with lots of different consultants,'
0:49:28 > 0:49:31and I just thought, "Wow, that must be really, really exciting."
0:49:31 > 0:49:33Anaesthetising a neonate
0:49:33 > 0:49:36has a suggested high risk than anaesthetising an older child,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38making it even more prudent to try
0:49:38 > 0:49:40and avoid a second operation in this patient population.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Thank you very much.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44APPLAUSE
0:49:44 > 0:49:47This helped land Ben the recognition that enabled him
0:49:47 > 0:49:51to clinch a place on a prestigious surgery training programme.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54The next step for me is starting what we call
0:49:54 > 0:49:57an academic clinical fellowship,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59in Oxford, in paediatric surgery.
0:49:59 > 0:50:00BABY BURBLES
0:50:00 > 0:50:03It's essentially the dream job, this is the best job I could have
0:50:03 > 0:50:08hoped for, it combines paediatric surgery and further training.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12Hopefully it'll take me through to consultancy in 20 years' time.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17It's scary that you're making such a long-term decision,
0:50:17 > 0:50:20and it's something that we'll all have to do in a year's time.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25While some of the juniors know exactly
0:50:25 > 0:50:28which fields they want to pursue,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32as they come to the end of their 12 months, others are still undecided.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36I don't know what kind of doctor I want to be, it's, um...
0:50:36 > 0:50:37to be announced.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38Hello, sir.
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Hello again.
0:50:39 > 0:50:45I think I learnt over my first job how much I value patient contact.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47I just need to take a blood test today,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49just to make sure that your clotting's OK.
0:50:49 > 0:50:50During her year,
0:50:50 > 0:50:55Lucy found that her key talent was really connecting with patients.
0:50:55 > 0:50:59- There you go, all good.- That's an English rose. That's for you.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Lucy came across great, she's open, honest and they trust her,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06and actually she spent a lot of time going the extra mile to help them,
0:51:06 > 0:51:08and that makes a massive difference.
0:51:08 > 0:51:12- Thank you very much. Bye!- Bye.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14In terms of long-term, I've not really got a plan,
0:51:14 > 0:51:16I'm just going to see how it goes.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Now I'm on surgery, one of the doctors at Chelsea tells me
0:51:19 > 0:51:22that surgeons are born and not made, and I think that's absolutely true,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24I was not born a surgeon, I think I was born a medic.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34At the end of their first year,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Andy and Aki have brought their bromance to the work place.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42- Have you seen them, Aki, today? - Not yet.- Not yet?
0:51:42 > 0:51:44You serious?
0:51:44 > 0:51:47They're working together on the same ward.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49It's been fun, apart from Aki's managed to avoid
0:51:49 > 0:51:52spending any time with me, by constantly being on call.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55So basically he's a guy who's got end-stage heart failure.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58So me and Aki are doing the ward round today,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02so we're basically just going round all of our 18 patients.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Big breaths.
0:52:04 > 0:52:05'Generally just...'
0:52:06 > 0:52:07..saving lives.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10Don't say that. Please don't say that again.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11THEY LAUGH
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Now, with much more to prove than their early days,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20the junior doctors have to show they can go it alone.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23..pitting oedema in the knees, but I think that's improved.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26I feel a lot more confident at assessing a patient.
0:52:26 > 0:52:27We're fine with you medically,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29it's just making sure that you're safe at home.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Making a decision on their management.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35I'm just going to check your chart. What was his weight?
0:52:35 > 0:52:38It's just, isn't it? The more you do it, the better you get.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41- Which one of you is coughing? MEN:- Me.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Both of you are coughing?
0:52:43 > 0:52:46'Quite incredible what a year can do to you,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49'I mean, looking back to the first couple of weeks at work,'
0:52:49 > 0:52:51you know, it was a complete nightmare,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54I didn't know my left to my right,
0:52:54 > 0:52:58but now I actually feel like I can look after the patients a lot better
0:52:58 > 0:53:00and in a more confident manner.
0:53:00 > 0:53:01Bye.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06And, for Andy, there's one basic procedure
0:53:06 > 0:53:09he's happy to have finally conquered...
0:53:10 > 0:53:11..the cannula.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19I'd like to think I'm a bit better now after a lot of practice,
0:53:19 > 0:53:22you know, I can do them, I do them, you know, fairly regularly now.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25Probably done a good few hundred this year.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29Just keep that on, I'm just going to stick that down now.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Everyone knows who we are, it's very weird.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34It's going to be sad to go to a new hospital
0:53:34 > 0:53:37because suddenly everyone won't, or they will and they'll think,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40"You're shit at cannulas, don't come anywhere near me."
0:53:40 > 0:53:41THEY LAUGH
0:53:45 > 0:53:4612 months on,
0:53:46 > 0:53:51all the doctors are leaving to take new positions around the country.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54If I had to describe this year in one word, it would be busy.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00This is the last time they'll be together.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03It almost feels like I'm looking through a dream or something,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05it's just so different to how it is now,
0:54:05 > 0:54:08and you go into shifts now
0:54:08 > 0:54:11and it's just like going to work, it's routine.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Even the hardest times actually turn out to be quite a fond memory,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17even those night shifts where you're like, "Gosh, it was awful."
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I look back on them now and I almost think,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21"Actually, that was pretty great."
0:54:22 > 0:54:25I've learnt to work on my own a lot more
0:54:25 > 0:54:28and trust my own judgement a lot more.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Ben, where do you see yourself in ten years' time?
0:54:30 > 0:54:33- Be outrageous.- "Be outrageous"?
0:54:33 > 0:54:36- Great Ormond Street.- Do you?- Yeah.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37As Professor Allin?
0:54:37 > 0:54:41Well, not in ten years' time - I'll only just be a registrar!
0:54:41 > 0:54:44So we're probably won't see each other for a while again.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46All going on different directions,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49to different parts of the country and scattered all over the place.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Aw, I'm going to miss you all.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54To the future.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07This year has been probably the most challenging years of my life.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11- Get off my arm! Get off! - Alfie, Alfie, Alfie, Alfie.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15I've grown in confidence out of any sort of recognition from a year ago.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21Yeah, didn't manage to get it in again, so it's kind of annoying.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23Definitely feel I can go into the job day to day
0:55:23 > 0:55:27and know what I'm doing, and it's not as stressful as before.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31I feel a million times more confident now.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35That's still not the confidence level that I should be at,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38but I am a lot more confident.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40PATIENT MOANS
0:55:40 > 0:55:41I think I have improved
0:55:41 > 0:55:44because I've gained a lot of experience in the last year.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47It would just be helpful... It's just the questions we ask...
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Our shared experience was starting off at a new hospital
0:55:53 > 0:55:54for the first time,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57and those challenges actually brought us together.
0:55:57 > 0:55:59CHEERING
0:56:00 > 0:56:03The people that you work with inevitably become
0:56:03 > 0:56:05a huge part of your life.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Oh, my God, that is amazing!
0:56:08 > 0:56:12To suddenly have to move on and detach yourself from that.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15You're quite far away from the curb, Priya.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Truly and sincerely, I'm sad to be leaving
0:56:17 > 0:56:20because I've sort of made it my home.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21CHEERING
0:56:21 > 0:56:23- ALL:- CHEERS!
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Yeah, I'd definitely do it all again,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27I mean it's been an amazing experience.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd