Dr. Hayes is a foundation Year 1 doctor, who has been working in intensive care for the last 6 months. He studied at St. George’s in London.
In his spare time he loves getting into the outdoors, walking and cycling.
Dr. Hayes is also one half of the Medico Lifestyle team running an online store and producing an educational podcast.
Q1. What ultimately made you committed to a career in medicine?
Studying medicine had been on the cards for a very long time for me, it’s really hard to say at which point I decided that I was committed to it. I suppose I always had it in my mind as an option as it was something that my grandad did. I never felt forced towards it but I think it was a natural fit.
Q2. If not medicine, what career do you think you might have gone down?
Good question. I think it would be difficult to find another job which combines science and people in quite the same way. I may have gone down a pure science route or maybe paramedicine. It would definitely have been a struggle feeling like I had to decide between these two sides.
Q3. How has it been working ask an FY1 under the current difficulties faced by COVID-19?
COVID has really shaken up how the hospital ran day to day. Weirdly the work we were doing in intensive care suddenly came into public attention. I think lots of people were surprised to see what that was like. We’ve had some difficult times particularly doing a difficult job whilst the world outside changed but at least we’ve been able to see other people at work.
Q4. How is it building a healthy social life alongside working a bust schedule?
Trying to have a social life can feel a little like you are compromising on time you should be spending on doing work. I think you have to just make the effort to see people who you really like and enjoy spending time with rather than doing social things you feel you ought to be doing.
Q5. Do you think that anything is currently missing in medical education which you would like to see implemented in the near future?
Of course I’m going to say our Study Medicine Podcast was missing which is the very reason we started making it. I think we manage to take some tough subjects and cover them in a nice conversational way and all in 30 mins. The entire way medical education is delivered is getting a rethink with lots moving online at the moment. I think we need lots of different resources that can fit into our lives. This change gives us a great opportunity to figure out new ways of working. Let’s face it, the classic lecture theatre is an ancient concept.
Q6. What advice would you give medical students when applying to Foundation Year training?
When you are applying to Foundation training consider how you might get points towards your application for core training or specialisation. I knew I wanted to do anaesthetics/ITU in my foundation years as it gives me points towards my ACCS anaesthetics application.
Q7. Is there any speciality you can currently see yourself working in going forwards into your career?
As you might have guessed I’m very keen on pursuing ITU and anaesthetics. I started to think that’s what I’d like to do towards the end of med school and I can honestly say since I’ve been doing it in F1 I’ve loved it.
Q8. How are the first couple of months as a newly qualified doctor? And with this, do you have tips for those that will soon be joining you?
The first few months as a doctor will be hard. Try taking on as much responsibility as you can in the final year of med school whilst on placement. Also pharmacology is probably the major thing I was shocked by. You will be asked all sorts of questions from day 1 so make sure you have an idea about those commonly used drugs. Also don’t worry it really does get easier.
Q9. How was the transition from medical school to junior doctor?
The transition is a shock. There are loads of aspects you don’t think of as much when you’re at med school. You need to suddenly work with an entire range of other healthcare professionals and talk to lots of family members. I don’t think med school prepares you for that really.
Q10. Is there anything you wish you had known before starting as an FY1?
There is loads of stuff that I wish I had know before starting, unfortunately lots of it are really boring specific organisation things to do with where I work. These will be different everywhere of course. I think I would like to have known how much I will improve through the year and I wish I’d known that I will get to grips with so much. Then I might not have worried so much early on.
I would like to thank Dr. Jonas Hayes immensely for taking the time to be interviewed – this short blog will have a lasting impact on so many budding medical students/doctors!!
dreamsofamedic.com 