Practical insights for healthcare professionals
Core & Oak articles explore the hidden curriculum of healthcare practice: the judgement, communication and professional expectations that are often observed but rarely explained.
The focus is on practical, evidence-informed guidance that helps healthcare professionals think clearly, communicate credibly and navigate complexity across their careers.
THE PARTS OF HEALTHCARE PRACTICE NOBODY REALLY TEACHES YOU
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I Made a Mistake at Work in Healthcare — What Should I Do?
Made a mistake at work and unsure what to do next? This practical guide for newly qualified healthcare professionals explains how to respond safely, be open about what happened, involve the right people, follow appropriate processes and learn without letting one incident define your professional identity.
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When Should I Escalate a Concern as a Newly Qualified Healthcare Professional?
Knowing when to escalate a concern can be difficult when you are newly qualified. This article explores how to recognise when risk, uncertainty or responsibility means another person needs to know, review, decide or act — and how to distinguish asking for advice from escalation and urgent escalation.
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How to Receive Feedback Without Becoming Defensive as a Newly Qualified Healthcare Professional
Receiving feedback can feel unexpectedly personal when you are newly qualified. This article explores why defensiveness happens, how to separate feedback about your practice from a judgement about you, and a practical four-step approach for responding thoughtfully when your work or judgement is challenged
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How to Explain Your Clinical Reasoning Clearly as a Newly Qualified Healthcare Professional
Struggling to explain why you made a clinical decision? Learn a practical four-question approach to make your reasoning clearer, communicate professional judgement and use uncertainty more effectively in early healthcare practice.
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Confidence as a Newly Qualified Healthcare Professional: Safe Practice Without Certainty
Professional confidence does not mean being certain that you are right. This article explores how newly qualified healthcare professionals can make safe, reasonable and defensible decisions when some uncertainty remains.
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How Much Anxiety Is Normal in a Newly Qualified Healthcare Role?
Starting a newly qualified healthcare role can bring unexpected anxiety. As responsibility grows, so can awareness of uncertainty, risk and what you do not yet know. This article explores when anxiety can be part of professional development, when it may be getting in the way, and how to respond appropriately.
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How to ask for help without feeling incompetent
Worried that asking for help will make you look inexperienced? Learn why thoughtful questions are part of safe professional practice, and how to organise your concern so you can ask for support clearly and credibly.
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Why Do New Healthcare Professionals Often Feel Like Imposters?
Newly qualified healthcare professionals often feel like imposters because responsibility increases faster than confidence. This article explains why uncertainty is normal and how to manage it safely and professionally.