Two new trainee orthopaedic acute care practitioners have recently started work at a Lincolnshire hospital – in a bid to bridge the national shortfall of junior doctors in the NHS.
Emma Beck and Manu Mathew have now taken up their posts at Pilgrim Hospital, in Boston and are both looking forward to the new challenge.
The aim of their new role is to help with the shortage of junior doctors in the area by bridging the gap between nursing and medicine, while at the same time upskilling staff to support the hospital, which is run by United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT). The Trust currently has 139 doctor vacancies.
Emma, who has worked for ULHT for a number of years and is a nurse by trade said: “It’s a very different role to what I have done before and it’s really exciting.
“Our consultant mentors have been really brilliant and they are quite patient with us and respectful that we are both trainees.”
As practitioners they will take on a clinical assessment role, taking into account many aspects of a patient’s journey, which is complementary to the traditional medical workforce.
Both Emma and Manu will be developing their clinical skills, prepping patients for theatre and carrying out reviews of patients while participating in ward rounds with doctors and registrars to prescribe medications.
“I spent some time networking with orthopaedic colleagues in Lincoln to brainstorm how the service could work over at Pilgrim Hospital and we have formulated professional friendships and are in touch regularly,” added Emma.
“The team will certainly look to expand once we’re settled in and a little more established.”
Manu, also a trained nurse, previously worked in the intensive care unit at Pilgrim and had skills he could transfer and utilise in his new role.
“There is scope for the role to do even more in the future, which is really exciting,” he said.
The duo are working hard fitting in studying at the University of Lincoln and working shifts at the hospital.
The orthopaedic service at Pilgrim Hospital, has consultants and specialists delivering all aspects of orthopaedics including arthroscopic shoulder surgery, knee surgery, revision hip surgery and pelvic fracture surgery – all carried out on site.
A diverse team of nurse practitioners work with the orthopaedic consultants to provide various aspects of care before, during and after surgery.