| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Clinical and Medical |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | Unit Head (Clinical) |
| Direct reports | Junior Resident Doctor |
| Experience | Up to 3 years after postgraduation; senior residency tenures commonly run 1 to 3 years |
Senior Resident Doctor job description template
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Job title: Senior Resident Doctor
Department: Clinical and Medical
Reports to: Unit Head (Clinical)
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Senior Resident Doctor has completed MD, MS or DNB and works in a department for a fixed tenure under the consultants. They run the ward day to day, take charge of emergencies and night duties for their specialty, perform procedures, supervise junior residents and teach interns. In medical colleges, senior residency also counts towards faculty eligibility. A good senior resident makes sound first decisions, escalates at the right time and keeps every patient's plan and paperwork in order.
Key responsibilities
- Run the pre-round with junior residents before consultant rounds, and prepare an update on every patient in the unit.
- Admit patients from OPD and emergency, complete the initial assessment and start treatment under department protocols.
- Take first call for the specialty at night and on weekends, assess sick patients and call the consultant when needed.
- Perform procedures suited to the specialty, such as central lines, lumbar punctures, minor operations or assisting in major surgery.
- Supervise junior residents' notes and orders, and correct errors before they reach the patient.
- Write or check discharge summaries, referral letters and death summaries for the consultant's signature.
- Counsel patients and families on diagnosis, procedures and progress, and take consent for procedures within own privileges.
- Answer calls from emergency and other departments on behalf of the specialty, and document each opinion.
- Teach interns and junior residents at the bedside and through case presentations, and take part in audits and research.
- Hand over clearly at the end of every duty, listing sick patients, pending tasks and plans.
Requirements
- MD, MS or DNB in the relevant specialty
- Valid registration with the National Medical Commission or a State Medical Council
- BLS and ACLS certification
- Up to 3 years after postgraduation; senior residency tenures commonly run 1 to 3 years
KRAs and KPIs for a Senior Resident Doctor
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Ward readiness | Updated plan for every inpatient ready before the consultant round each day |
| Escalation | Consultant informed within 30 minutes of any significant deterioration, with the call documented |
| Discharge paperwork | Discharge summaries ready for signature by 11 am on discharge day in 90 percent of cases |
| Handover quality | Written handover at 100 percent of duty changes |
| Procedure logbook | Procedures and any complications logged every week |
| Teaching and audit | One case presentation a month and one audit or research project a year |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Electronic medical records, Hospital information system (HIS), Specialty procedure kits, Bedside monitors and ECG machine, Point-of-care ultrasound.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Consultant Physician, General Surgeon, Unit Head (Clinical)
Interview questions for a Senior Resident Doctor
- At 2 am a post-operative patient's blood pressure drops. What do you do before calling the consultant?
- How do you check a junior resident's work on a busy night without slowing everyone down?
- Tell me about a time you escalated a patient too late. What did you learn?
- How do you prioritise six discharges, two admissions and one deteriorating patient in the same morning?
- What goes into your night handover?
- Which procedures in your specialty are you confident doing alone?
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What is a senior resident doctor?
A senior resident is a doctor who has finished an MD, MS or DNB and works in a hospital department for a fixed tenure under consultants. They manage wards, handle night emergencies for their specialty, perform procedures, supervise junior residents and teach interns. In medical colleges senior residency is a step towards faculty posts.
What is the difference between a senior resident and a junior resident?
A junior resident is an MBBS doctor, often a postgraduate student or a doctor preparing for postgraduate entrance, who works under close supervision. A senior resident has already completed postgraduation, takes more responsibility for decisions and procedures, and supervises the junior residents on duty.
Is senior residency compulsory after MD?
It is not compulsory for every doctor, but it is common, and medical colleges generally look for senior residency experience before appointing assistant professors. Some state governments also run bonded residency schemes for doctors trained in government colleges, and private hospitals often hire senior residents as a step towards consultant posts.