General Discussion - QuickBeat Forum

How to save money for the institution

quickbeatuser — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 06:07:47 +0000

Request for investigations at the correct time as well as provide the correct intervention
1. Prevention is better than cure.
Follow up your investigations (don't just request and repeat)
Don't order a a full panel of bloods if you want something specific eg Hb instead of FBC
Use evidence based clinical decision making guidelines and appropriate use criteria for tests
- For instance, do you really need that antibiotic if you know that it won't work? The duration you prescribe medication for etc.
Follow admission criteria or protocols for particular conditions - this will avoid unnecessary admissions.
Do not order blood products for transfusion after hours if it is not necessary
Consultant ward rounds as much as possible to get better understanding of the case and to shorten patient stay by correctly managing the patient.
Train clinics and other peripheral institutions correct management of simple cases and referral criteria to higher care.
Appropriate waste disposal
Avoid polypharmacy and unnecessary medications, think of cases where patients are given PPIs for "ulcers".
Viewing of laboratory results online or viewing imaging studies on the system instead of printing unnecessarily. However, this refers mainly to "reprinting" since some of these investigations need to be in the patient's file. However, I am sure you get the idea.

Primary Health Medical Officer

quickbeatuser — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 05:03:02 +0000

Common Chronic Conditions, including Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus
TB and HIV
Common emergencies
Batho Pele Principles
NHI
Clinical Governance
Conflict Resolution

District Clinic Medical Officer

quickbeatuser — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 05:00:51 +0000

For district clinic based MO, questions I had:

What are you interests within medicine and where do you see yourself in 5 years.
Name 5 drugs used in MDR TB treatment.
What is upper acceptable limit for QtC in patients on Bedaquilline?
What is the dose of Atazanavir and when should you consider it?
How long is the lysis window for a stroke?
Briefly explain syphilis management, when is treatment successful?
How are you going to crosstaper a woman of childbearing potential from Sodium Valproate to Lamotrigine, and why is it important?

There are lots of other questions they can ask to check that you are comfortable with things commonly encountered at that specific facility, so I would find out beforehand what services the facility provides specifically:

Do they have MDR patients?
Do they have paeds HIV patients that MOs need to look after?
Does the clinic have an ante-natal unit?
Do they see children with ADHD that receive Ritalin?
Do the CNPs at the clinic do TOP's?
Is there a minor ops list at the facility for things like dermoid inclusion cysts or circumcisions?

Then you can prepare basics of each of these categories so that you don't get caught off guard.

The HR questions are usually something like you have seen a senior make a mistake, what are you going to do about it?
In the western cape they can ask you to explain what Clinical Governance is, outside the western cape it is more likely to be specifically worded as a Batho Pele based question, but the two are kind of similar, clinical governance is just a bit more specific regarding the improvement of services, this info should be on the western cape government website.
Then lastly it is good to come with questions prepared to ask the panel interviewing you, at the end they ask you whether there is something you would like to know about the job you are applying for or the facility you are headed to.

Having well thought out, kindly worded questions for them will show genuine interest in working there, so that you don't end up just asking: "but Will I have to do calls?" And "do I get lunch?" you can easily have a great interview and then ruin it with silly questions at the end because you weren't ready to ask them anything.

Source: South African Medical Officer Posts, Dr. Krisjan Thirion

General Advice for Interviews

zadoctorza — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 17:18:54 +0000

Hello everyone, kindly find some general interview tips for any post below.

The first document is called Interview Preparation by Floyd Mokhena and the other document is from an unknown individual. Both documents are very important and they will give you a good understanding on how to approach an interview.

However, it is important to keep in mind that one should expect to be asked non-clinical and clinical questions. The clinical questions will be based on the field that you are applying to as well as the level of experience for the post (Medical Officer Grade 1, 2 and 3 vs Registrar vs Consultant). For the clinical questions, make sure you have a structure to every question even if you have not prepared for them. For instance, any emergency should be approached using the Airway-Breathing-Circulation algorithm.

Non-Clinical Questions to expect:

Introductory questions about yourself?
- Tell us about yourself? Your skills? Background, Education, Work Experience and interests?
What makes a good leader?
How to deal with some sort of work conflict at work?
- This is discussed in the documents shared.
- However some situations could include a colleague arriving late at work, colleague doing locums during normal work hours, colleague having a conflict with you, colleague doing/saying something that you do not agree with and so on.
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What are your long term goals?
How do you handle change in your life?
How do you cope with work under pressure?
How do you make important decisions?
Do you know the Batho Pele Principles?
What are the National Core Standards?
- Not often asked but yeah, you get the idea.
Do you know the Patient Right Charter?
- Usually asked in connection with the Batho Pele Principles
Why are you applying for this job?
What are the duties of a medical officer/registrar?
- Make sure you understand your duties as well as read over the information stated in the post.
Do you know a brief history of the hospital that you are applying to?
- Especially those such as Charlotte Maxeke, Thelle, CHBAH and so on.
What is your understanding of RWOPS?
What is an incident report?
What is your understanding of consent?
Why do you think that you are the best candidate?

I am sure that there are more questions but this brief list should get you started. Please keep in mind that when you are not sure of something just be honest with the panel. Do not rush and stay calm. If you do not remember something and need extra time to think, ask them to repeat the question. In the meantime, think of a good answer. Don't forget to thank the panel when you are done. The duration of the interview varies from hospital to hospital, however most people I have spoken to mention around 15 - 20 minutes.

Most importantly, take every interview as an experience. Learn from the previous one and apply it to the next one.

Let's keep adding!

Kind Regards