Is your surgery looking to demonstrate an attractive new working environment for a Newly Qualifying GP?

By Kirsty Morris

I recently ran a webinar alongside my colleague, Alexa, specifically for Newly Qualifying GPs, on how to approach an interview for their first Salaried post. One of the first points I make is that it is a 2-way street between the GP and the practice and that both parties need to glean the information they need in order to make an informed decision.

So, I thought I’d write an article to support surgeries seeking to interview and appoint Newly Qualified GPs.

A common mistake some practices make is taking Newly Qualified GPs through exactly the same process as an experienced GP, which sometimes works well, particularly if the GP has clinical experience prior to going through GP Training, or if the GP is very confident, well-researched and informed on what to expect.

However, many Newly Qualified GPs view job seeking as a huge dive head-first into the unknown and due to the uncertainty, they are apprehensive and nervous about making the wrong decision.

Here are some simple tips for demonstrating you have an attractive working environment for Newly Qualified GPs.

So, you have arranged a visit with the GP, how can you encourage a meaningful, positive and comfortable meeting?

Ditch the formal interview and keep it relaxed!

Having an informal, friendly chat rather than a formal interview style has 2 key benefits:

• You will more quickly put the GP at ease, so they feel comfortable in your company.
• You are more likely to get a realistic view of what the GP is like and whether they will fit well with your team.

Topic ideas to keep the conversation light:

GPs Background:

• Ask open questions!
• Encourage 2-way conversation.
• Ask about their experiences – what did they enjoy, or not enjoy?
• What they’ve learned that surprised them.
• What is really important to them in their next post. TOP TIP: You can refer back to the information they share when you are showcasing your practice!
• Where do they see themselves long-term?
• Ask Practical questions to demonstrate you are considering the human being with a life outside of work, not just a GP employee. Location, journey to work, and what timescales work for them are all important.

Showcase your Practice!

Explain that you’ll share an overview of the practice and then give the GP an opportunity to ask questions and dig into specifics.

Take the opportunity to acknowledge what the GP is looking for and has enjoyed previously, as well as managing expectations on what they don’t enjoy; if it is an essential part of general practice, like admin! Include what has been done to make things as easy as possible for the GPs.

Topic ideas to highlight:

You may have lots more to showcase, but topics that come up regularly are:

• Are you a practice who values and looks after their employees?
• What is the culture like?
• What opportunities are created to learn and develop?
• Do you have any kind of flexible working options like flexible starting / finishing times, or remote working options?

The Team:

A good overview of the team, how they work together, what special interests they have and their approach to working through challenges.

The day-to-day role:

The GP will almost certainly be considering and comparing the workload with other surgeries. It will be important to talk through the detail and ideally show them appointment lists and how the on-call doctor sessions work.

Look around the surgery…

…and meet and greet! This is a great way to help the GP feel at home and to start to make the practice feel familiar to them!

• Show them any communal areas – kitchen, staff room, break-out rooms. TOP TIP: It helps to arrange a visit around lunch time as GPs are likely to be between clinics and may have 5 mins to say hi!
• Are the Partners or GPs available for a quick chat? This is a great way of welcoming the GP and making them feel comfortable.
• Who else is free to meet them?

The Induction process for newly qualified GPs

You may feel like this is a little ‘cart-before-horse’, however, talking through the induction process can be really helpful in alleviating some of the fear of the unknown for the GP and gives them a picture of what life could look like should they choose your practice. This can be a reason they say ‘YES!’ to your practice!

Advise of the ideas you can suggest and prompt the GP to think about what they would like the first few weeks to look like.

Recommendations you can share to give the GP a starting point:

• A non-clinical week one:
• To introduce and welcome.
• Systems refresh / training if needed.
• Processes, systems and names of relevant contacts to ask.
• Phased introduction to clinic:
• Briefing slots which mirror their ST3 sessions.
• On-call shadow another GP.
• Phased intro to On-call.
• Clinical meeting – meet everyone properly:
• Advise that you will have a good introduction to the Clinical Meeting. TOP TIP: Have lunch/refreshments to welcome them!!

How do you close?

To close the visit, advise of the next steps. Give them a contact number, email address and an invitation to reach out should they think of any questions.

Advise clearly of the timescales that you are working towards. If you offer them the post, make sure they have a clear understanding of when they will need to give their decision.

I hope you found these tips useful and that they give you a good refresher when inviting Newly Qualified GPs to visit your practice. If you would like a one to one conversation to talk through specifics, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on: 0113 350 1308.

You can also complete our contact form and we will get back to you!