Hospital doctor : Job description

Hospital doctors apply medical knowledge and skills to the diagnosis, prevention and management of disease. They work in wards and out-patient clinics, predominantly in the public sector (National Health Service), but also in the private sector. As well as treating patients, they refer them to a wide range of other health care professionals, including nurses, radiographers, pharmacists and physiotherapists. Hospital doctors work within a number of specialties, of which the most common are:

• anaesthetics;
• emergency medicine;
• general medicine;
• general surgery;
• obstetrics and gynaecology;
• paediatrics;
• psychiatry;
• trauma and orthopaedics.

Typical work activities

Specific tasks depend on the specialty; a surgeon's daily tasks are significantly different from those of a doctor working in accident and emergency (A&E) or a general physician. However, the following responsibilities are likely to be carried out, regardless of the doctor's specialty, on a daily or weekly basis:

• monitoring and providing general care to patients on hospital wards and in outpatient clinics;
• admitting patients requiring special care, investigations and treatment;
• examining and talking to patients to diagnose their medical conditions;
• carrying out specific procedures, e.g. performing operations and specialist investigations;
• making notes, both as a legal record of treatment and for the benefit of other health care professionals;  
• working with other doctors as part of a team, either in the same department, or within other specialties;
• liaising with other medical and non-medical staff in the hospital to ensure quality treatment;
• promoting health education;
• undertaking managerial responsibilities such as planning the workload and staffing of the department, especially at more senior levels;
• teaching (junior doctors and medical students), as well as auditing and research.