Working with others
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Doctors and medical students must strive for good teamwork.
Everyone on the clinical team must share responsibility for identifying and solving problems in patient care. Good teamwork will reduce errors and improve patient outcomes.
Medical students learn from doctors and other professionals such as nurses through team-based care.
Remember that medicine is not merely about facts and treatment. Rather, good medicine relies on interpersonal communication and understanding.
Working in teams on clinical placements helps medical students develop essential communication and collaboration skills.
Doctors must mentor and support medical students as part of their professional responsibility. This includes helping students develop teamwork skills.
Strong teamwork builds safer, more competent doctors for patients now and in the future.
You’ll find guidance for doctors on the topic of teamwork in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet:
- Communicate effectively – Share relevant information clearly and listen to colleagues, ensuring coordinated and safe patient care.
- Respect all team members – Acknowledge and value the contributions of colleagues, regardless of role or seniority.
- Support a positive work culture – Encourage openness, collaboration and mutual respect, creating a safe environment for learning and improvement.
- Delegate appropriately – Ensure tasks are assigned based on competence and workload, providing guidance and supervision where needed.
- Take responsibility and be adaptable – Lead when necessary, follow when required and contribute to shared goals, prioritising patient safety.
There are a number of expectations related to teamwork for students outlined in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet:
- Collaborate effectively – Students must work respectfully with peers, supervisors and the wider healthcare team, valuing everyone’s contributions.
- Communicate clearly – Students must share information accurately, listen actively and ensure tasks are coordinated for patient safety.
- Be reliable – They should fulfill their responsibilities, contribute fairly and support colleagues while recognising their own limits.
Some scenarios have key issues related to teamwork.
Often, deciders in these scenarios come into contact with other staff members who are failing to abide by one or more of the following principles:
- Doctors and medical students must work collaboratively with colleagues, respecting their skills and contributions.
- They must treat colleagues fairly and with respect.
- They must be aware of how their behaviour may influence others both within and outside the team.
Walkthrough question
Appropriateness - Teamwork
Let’s work through a regular Appropriateness set with a key issue related to teamwork.
For a medical student, professional behaviour means acting with honesty, integrity and respect while meeting ethical and legal responsibilities.
Professionalism is essential to build trust with patients and among clinical colleagues because it strengthens teamwork and collaboration.
Ethical conduct prioritises patient safety and enables high quality care.
Professional conduct by doctors and medical students helps to ensure public confidence in the profession.
Medical students must demonstrate professionalism through clinical and educational work to prepare to practise medicine.
A medical career requires a commitment to learning and a focus on self-improvement, which includes professional behaviour.
You’ll find guidance for doctors on the topic of professional behaviour in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet:
- Act with integrity – Be honest, ethical and accountable in all professional interactions, upholding public trust in the medical profession.
- Respect colleagues and patients – Treat everyone with courtesy, kindness and fairness, fostering a positive and inclusive healthcare environment.
- Maintain clear boundaries – Separate personal and professional relationships, avoiding conflicts of interest or inappropriate interactions.
- Take responsibility for actions – Admit mistakes, learn from feedback and continuously strive for improvement, ensuring high standards of care.
- Follow ethical and legal obligations – Adhere to workplace policies and legal requirements, ensuring safe and professional practice.
Achieving Good Medical Practice outlines some expectations on the topic of professional behaviour for students:
- Act with integrity – Be honest, trustworthy and uphold the high standards expected of future doctors in all settings.
- Respect others – Treat patients, peers and staff with kindness, courtesy and fairness, both in-person and online.
- Take responsibility – Follow rules, meet deadlines, and be accountable for your actions and decisions.
Professional behaviour is another common area of key issue in Situational Judgement scenarios.
Doctors and medical students are expected to act professionally at all times.
Professional behaviour is one of the widest-ranging areas of key issues in SJ scenarios, encompassing everything from a lack of punctuality to a discriminatory comment.
When faced with a scenario where the key issue relates to a lack of professionalism, remember:
- Deciders must respond professionally when confronting racism, sexism or any other prejudice.
- Responses which attempt to find a solution to unprofessional behaviour will be very appropriate.
- Responses which ignore the issue or condone it will be very inappropriate.
Walkthrough question
Appropriateness - Professional behaviour
Let’s work through a regular Appropriateness set with a key issue related to professional behaviour.
Learning to deal with mistakes is an essential part of medical training. Doctors have an obligation to act openly and honestly with patients when something goes wrong.
In medical practice, dealing with mistakes means that doctors must acknowledge errors, be open with patients and learn from mistakes in order to improve care and maintain trust.
Doctors must be honest about mistakes and explain their impact to patients.
Transparency builds patient trust and is essential for upholding professional integrity.
While medical students are not directly responsible for patient care, they must inform their supervisor who is responsible if something goes wrong. The supervisor will guide the student to help the patient and address the mistake.
When interacting with patients on placement, medical students must address mistake in an open and ethical manner.
Medical students should embrace openness and accountability with the support of doctors involved in their training.
A nurturing environment for medical students encourages honest discussions and will lead to better care for patients.
You’ll find guidance for doctors on the topic of dealing with mistakes in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet:
- Acknowledge errors – Recognise when a mistake has occurred, take responsibility and act quickly to minimise harm.
- Be open with patients – Explain what happened, apologise and discuss the next steps, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust.
- Learn from mistakes – Reflect on errors, seek feedback and engage in learning processes to prevent recurrence and improve practice.
- Report safety concerns – Follow workplace protocols to report mistakes and contribute to investigations that enhance patient safety.
- Support colleagues – Encourage a culture where mistakes can be discussed without fear, promoting learning and continuous improvement.
According to the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet, when dealing with mistakes, students must:
- Acknowledge errors – Be honest and transparent when mistakes occur and make sure relevant parties, for example your supervisor, are informed.
- Reflect and improve – Use feedback and structured reflection to understand what went wrong and how to prevent future errors.
- Be transparent with patients – If involved in a mistake affecting a patient, follow guidance on openness, ensuring the patient receives clear, truthful information.
- Seek support – Mistakes can be emotionally challenging. Talk to mentors, peers or wellbeing services to maintain resilience.
Some scenarios feature key issues related to dealing with mistakes.
Doctors and medical students must be open and honest with their patients.
The General Medical Council has issued clear guidance about what to do if things go wrong. If a doctor makes a mistake, according to the GMC they should:
- ‘Put matters right, if possible.’
- ‘Offer an apology.’
- ‘Explain fully and promptly what has happened and the likely short and long-term effects.’
Walkthrough question
Appropriateness - Dealing with mistakes
Let’s work through a regular Appropriateness set with a key issue related to dealing with mistakes.
Continuity of care means that each patient receives consistent care regardless of changes within a clinical team or across different providers, such as their GP and a specialist doctor.
It can be challenging in a hospital setting to ensure continuity of care, as patients will see many doctors and nurses. Thus, the clinical team must take responsibility to protect patient care as patients encounter different colleagues, whether on a single day or across multiple shifts.
Continuity of care allows for patient-centred care regardless of the specific professionals treating the patient at a given moment. This allows patients to build trust with the clinical team with the confidence that each patient’s needs are met and that personalised treatment is based on their medical history.
You’ll find guidance on the issue of continuity of care specifically aimed at doctors in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet:
- Ensure clear handovers – Communicate essential patient information when transferring care, ensuring the receiving clinician has all necessary details for safe treatment.
- Share relevant updates – Provide timely and accurate information to colleagues and teams involved in a patient’s care, reducing errors and ensuring seamless treatment.
- Clarify responsibilities – Make sure patients understand who is responsible for their care, including the lead clinician or team, to avoid confusion and delays in decision-making.
- Confirm care transitions – Check that a named clinician or service has taken over responsibility when transferring or discharging a patient, ensuring no gaps in care.
- Document thoroughly – Record all key clinical decisions, treatments and plans clearly, so future care providers have a complete and accurate history to work from.
As addressed in the Achieving Good Medical Practice booklet, students have a role in ensuring continuity of care:
- Handover responsibility safely – When involved in patient care, ensure clear, accurate information is passed on to the appropriate person before leaving a task or placement.
- Know your role – As a student, you are not responsible for ongoing patient care but must contribute to effective teamwork by communicating accurately with supervisors.
- Follow up on learning – Engage with placement debriefs and discussions to understand how continuity of care impacts patient outcomes and professional practice.
Key issues in a scenario are sometimes related to continuity of care.
Hospitals provide 24/7 care, so it is vital that there is clear and effective communication between medical professionals coming on and off their shifts. As always, patient care and wellbeing must be prioritised.
Handovers at the end of a shift are often the settings for scenarios of this kind.
Doctors have a responsibility to take handovers seriously and to ensure that nothing falls between the cracks when staff rotate in and out.
Walkthrough question
Importance - Continuity of care
Let’s look at an Importance set that features a key issue related to continuity of care.