Your team is your survival kit – whatever their age, stage or hair colour

Another retirement, another funeral. I'm moving up both these queues, one a little more enthusiastically than the other.

When I started working, retirement always seemed so far away as I had nothing in common with anyone at that end of the journey. It was way beyond my horizon, alien almost. Those grey-haired doctors were different. Now I find myself very much at that end, and I can tell you it is real, you do get there eventually and all sorts of things will have happened on the way.

Can I still relate to the twenty-somethings, the resident doctors who I work with every day? Can they relate to me? They listen politely to my stories about my children and grandchildren, but I know have no interest in my retirement plans.

Are the generations so different that we can’t relate?

I am concerned that all the stuff we see on social media about generational difference is actually dividing us quite unnecessarily and making normal age gap differences into stereotyping vitriol. I’m not so convinced that these so-called “generations” even exist. And are we describing anything new when we complain about each other?

It is easy to find ancient quotations which show that, for a long time, nothing has been new. On a tablet in the Imperial Museum at Constantinople, Turkey, you can read:

“We have fallen upon evil times, the world has waxed old and wicked. Politics are very corrupt. Children are no longer respectful to their elders. Each man wants to make himself conspicuous and write a book”

Naram-Sin, 5000BC

MDDUS recently surveyed and compared 200 “Gen Z” medics to an overall pool of 2000 others. The Gen Z group were much more confident about the planned NHS switch to digital and that this could improve workload. There were big differences when it came to discussing mental health, with Gen Z being much more willing to do that and to share their emotions in the workplace.

Read more: Crying at work not uncommon for half of Gen Z doctors in the NHS

Emotions are distinctly unique

Reassuringly, and importantly, there were few differences between generations when it came to the issues spanning burnout, like workload, hours and wellbeing. People are nearly impossible to measure, experience is personal, success is what you think it is, stress is yours, emotions are distinctly unique.

We need to look at what unites us rather than what divides and understand more fully the issues that make medicine stressful. Medicine is stressful, I can’t pretend anything other than that.

It involves people, illness and tragedy. And it can get too much, especially if there is never a break.

To be blunt, the hours “my generation” did were stupid. I did 120 hour weeks at times. I worked through five shifts of nurses every time I was on call. You can bet I wanted to cry at the end of those shifts.

It was not safe and I am glad it changed. My Dad, once a junior House Officer, always reminded me that in his day it was worse. He was resident when resident meant you did not leave the building. He was permanently available. A so-called one-in-one rota. It felt like ancient history when he told me that.

Complexity, speed, documentation

The current resident doctor is “full on” for their entire shift. There is virtually no down time. Information continuously flows via electronic devices, through larger teams, decisions are needed, tests are complex and everything must be documented instantly. Numbers are up, the population has aged and people are living longer with multiple medical issues.

But managing people will always remain stressful. If it wasn't for the patients, it would be such an easy job. People can be amazing, how they cope, how they manage and how they somehow keep going. Hospitals and the consultation room are where difficult conversations and hard decisions happen. The doctor is in the middle of that complex web.

Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series was once asked why he had six monitors connected to his PC: “Because I don't have room for eight” was his response. I just feel the same when it comes to medicine today

Patients remain at the heart of what we need to define as the role of a doctor. What we share across generations of doctors is grasping complexity, uncertainty, decision making and responsibility.

Your survival kit

You will be a doctor for forty years or more. You will meet thousands of patients, some of them will make you cry and some will make you angry, but you will remain unprejudiced and open with them all as you make difficult decisions about their care.

You will also work with teams who will make you cry at times, but they are your survival kit. Find the person who helps and talk to each other. Forget the age difference, we really are all the same whatever colour the hair.

Read more: Surviving and Thriving in your Foundation Year

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This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.