Making the most of the doctors' mess: a guide for the foundation year doctor

Abstract

The doctors' mess has always been an integral part of medical culture. It stems back to the days when doctors were on duty for long hours, but not necessarily actually working. Therefore, they had to have somewhere where they could retreat while waiting to be called. It was always a haven of relative tranquillity where you could take your break away from the wards. The New Deal (NHS Management Executive, 1991) says that there is supposed to be a doctors' mess away from clinical areas, separate from any dining room. In this day and age of shifts, some would argue that the mess is an anachronism. However, there is still a place for it.

The impact of shared social spaces on the wellness and learning of junior doctors: A scoping review

“…In the United Kingdom, use of the doctors' mess usually involves a monthly subscription fee. If some users appeared to be getting more use, or were not paying at all, it was deemed ‘not fair on the others who are subsidising’ the cost 29 …”

“…When users had ownership over the space, not only did they value the sense of control from a wellness perspective, but they were able to modify the space to perform well in their context 22 . Opportunities to manage spaces such as the doctors mess, allowed junior doctors to develop non‐clinical skills such as management and leadership 29 . Successful spaces tended to have the support of senior colleagues or management, which provided legitimacy and sustainability 6,34,50 …”

“…This raised the issue of parity since there were sometimes complaints that some specialties tended to use certain spaces (e.g., doctors' mess) more often than others. 29 In the United Kingdom, use of the doctors' mess usually involves a monthly subscription fee.…”

“…The most commonly described space in the included sources was the 'doctors' mess', 6,7,9,21,27,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] which resembles the American 'doctors' lounge', [41][42][43][44] also called residents', 24,25 physicians', 28 or surgeons' lounge. 45 Multidisciplinary spaces were described as 'staff lounge', 13 'staff room', 6 'coffee room', 46 'tea-room', 22 or 'common room'.…”

“…If some users appeared to be getting more use, or were not paying at all, it was deemed 'not fair on the others who are subsidising' the cost. 29 Shared social spaces had a simple but important function as a space for rest and refreshment (Subtheme 3.3), where basic items such as a fridge, healthy snacks, coffee making facilities and lockers were often available to refresh the workforce, in and out of hours. It was recognised that beyond physical nourishment, workplace conditions such as these also made a significant contribution to the experience of control and sense of value (3.e).…”