Confessions of a Junior Doctor

As the new graduates begin their work at Northampton General Hospital, they start to experience the reality of life as an NHS doctor

This episode looks at Northampton General's A&E department, where unprecedented numbers of patients are putting junior doctors under increasing pressure. Morgan is only one year out of medical school and on her first ever stint in A&E. She wears her heart on her sleeve, and is understandably nervous about being thrust into the thick of a bustling emergency department. Within her first three months, the hospital - like so many A&E departments - has been pushed onto black alert as it reaches capacity and is simply unable to take in more patients. Morgan has to juggle looking after patients with taking care of herself and not letting it all overwhelm her.

This episode follows the junior doctors looking after Northampton General's youngest and often most fragile patients. Working in the paediatric department brings juniors into contact with acutely sick babies, anxious parents and the unpredictability of childbirth. For those just embarking on a paediatric career, it's a wake-up call. Fahim is a third year doctor taking his first steps onto the children's wards. He has been placed on the neo-natal unit, looking after premature babies and those born with acute illness. Working weeks of night shifts in such a stressful environment takes its toll on Fahim, who begins to wonder whether he's cut out to look after such delicate and difficult patients. Neeta, on the other hand, has wanted to be a paediatrician since she was a child herself.

This episode follows juniors working in the competitive world of surgery, where people often make big personal sacrifices to further their careers. James is a brand new registrar, stepping up to the most senior level of junior doctor. He is leading operations for the first time as well as managing a 24-hour on-call shift and the difficult decision of when to operate and when to let someone die. The hours are long and his commitment soon starts to affect his own health. Zeeshan is fresh out of medical school and determined to become a surgeon. His focus is impressive but the consultants are concerned that he needs to look after himself as well as his patients. Kayla is one of a handful of female juniors training to become surgeons. She has perhaps made the greatest sacrifice of all by leaving her son at home in China with her parents while she works in the UK. As he grows up, Kayla faces important choices about how to be a good mother as well as a surgeon.