Six junior doctors, all in their twenties, are beginning their new placements at Salford Royal hospital. They face tough lessons pushing them to their limits as they confront the pressures and demands of winter in the NHS and the realities of being a junior doctor.

Twenty-five-year-old Zohaib chose to follow his father into medicine. He describes himself as extremely competitive and got into medicine hoping to “save lives like a superhero.” Zohaib’s training begins on the Geriatrics Ward and under the watchful eye of consultant Arturo, he looks forward to learning about the unique challenges of caring for elderly patients.

With the Geriatrics Ward often at full capacity in the winter, many jobs are passed to the junior doctors, and Zohaib is asked to do his first rectal examination and enema.

Twenty-four-year-old Sofia left her home in the Falkland Islands to study medicine in the UK. Recently qualified, she is beginning her hospital training on the Colorectal Ward, meaning a lot of time is spent discussing patients’ bowels.

Whilst examining a patient who has had bowel surgery, Sofia’s colorectal knowledge is put to the test by Registrar Rebecca. Being tested is a vital part of every junior doctor’s learning but getting the answers right doesn’t always come easy. Meanwhile, 25-year-old James, a long-stay patient on Sofia’s ward, is currently being fed though a drip as he waits for major bowel surgery. Sofia has the difficult task of accompanying her consultant to deliver some bad news.

Changing shift patterns are one of the many things junior doctors must get used to and on a busy Friday night in Salford, Sofia is facing her first night shift, where she is the first port of call for over 100 patients across six wards.

With resources tighter and pressures higher than ever, working in a hospital is no mean feat. Our junior doctors are thrown in at the deep end as they take their training to the next level to find out if they have what it takes to be our doctors of tomorrow. Show less