Who you are:
You are an FY2 doctorWho the colleague is:
Your colleague John (FY1) keeps arriving late for work in the hospital.What you should do:
Talk to him about this problem.
Key issues arising from scenario:
• Recognise own role, abilities/limitations.
• How does late arrival affect colleagues/patients?
• Is he ok?
Key points when talking to colleague:
• Sensitive approach, there may be a valid reason for arriving late.
• Don’t embarrass him in front of others.
• Talk to him quietly on your own, not in front of the whole team or on the ward.
Approach
Build a rapport
Introduce the topic:
You: John, can I talk to you alone for a minute? Recently, I started to notice that you have been having trouble with coming into work on time, is there a problem?
Colleague: It was just couple of minutes late and it only happened once.
Y: OK, well is there any specific reason you are coming in late? Maybe you can tell me about it and we can try to come up with a solution together.
C: I slept late last night.
Y: Oh I see, may I know why?
C: I was playing PlayStation.
Y: Gaming can be a good way to relieve your stress, how many hours do you play a day?
C: It depends, but I enjoy playing it every day.
Y: But do you think it may have started to affect your studies?
C: Not at all.
Sometimes it will be different causes so you can ask:
How far do you live from hospital?
Any problems with the transportation?
Impact:
- You can miss the handover, and early morning teaching sessions.
- This can give bad impression of you to others.
- It’s expected from you to show punctuality, even a few
seconds matter when it comes to a patient’s life.
Advice:
- Adjust your alarm so that you wake up earlier.
- Try to sleep earlier.
- Ask yourself whether you are spending too many hours gaming and if so, limit the hours you spend on Playstation.
Escalate:
- Advise him to talk to his educational supervisor,
C: Will he punish me?
Y: Not at all, he tackles these types of issues all the time and he will give you more advice.