What it’s like being a junior doctor in training

Ben Alderson talks about his training at LYPFT.

I’m Ben Alderson and I’m in my fifth year of training towards becoming a consultant in Old Age Psychiatry. I have been working at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust since August 2014 – I specifically chose to work in the Yorkshire Deanery for my higher training, as it gave me the opportunity to work at this Trust. The Trust’s training programme has a well-deserved, fantastic reputation. The clinical training and supervision programme is of the highest quality and the Trust encourages training doctors to develop those essential non-clinical skills such as leadership, management and research.

These opportunities mean that there is healthy competition amongst training doctors to work at the Trust. The consultants I worked for in my first year in Leeds were exceptional trainers; Dr John Holmes and Dr Nick Brindle were encouraging and supportive of my training needs and provided direct supervision in my clinical role. Dr Nick Brindle also supervised part of my Master’s Degree in Psychiatry, which I completed last year. I was fortunate enough to stay in Leeds for a second year and work for Dr Sharon Nightingale, who has supported and supervised me to successfully apply for a fellowship role with the Yorkshire Deanery, which I will take up from February 2017.

The high quality training and supervision I have received directly impacts on the quality of care that mental health service users in the Trust receive. As I am developing my skills as an independent practitioner, I really value the input of senior clinicians when discussing care plans for the service users in my care. The team I work with is supportive and friendly and the experience of training at the Trust will not only help to provide the delivery of safe, high quality care to our service users but it will improve my skills and give me a solid foundation for my future career.

Ben Alderson
Junior Doctor, Old Age Psychiatry