Should I go home if I am tired in the SJT?

Yes, if your fatigue compromises safety. In Self-Care and Resilience MSRA scenarios, continuing to work while impaired is a 'Red Flag' and a low-scoring option. You must escalate to a senior, ensure your patients are covered, and then step back.

Is seeking help for stress a sign of weakness?

No. In Self-Care and Resilience MSRA questions, seeking help (from a GP, Occupational Health, or Supervisor) is a high-scoring 'Professional Duty.' It demonstrates insight and a commitment to maintaining your fitness to practise.

Self-Care & Resilience – Introduction (MSRA SJT)

Self-Care & Resilience

Self-Care and Resilience MSRA

This guide covers the essential domain of Self-Care and Resilience MSRA scenarios. In the Professional Dilemmas paper, you are tested on your ability to recognise that a burnt-out doctor is an unsafe doctor, making self-awareness a critical safety skill.

🎥 Video Lesson (YouTube)

🎧 Podcast Lesson (Spotify / Apple / Amazon)

Self-care and resilience are core professional duties in GMC Good Medical Practice and high-yield themes in the MSRA SJT.
This section teaches you how to recognise when you’re no longer safe to practise, how to escalate concerns about your own wellbeing, and how to maintain emotional and behavioural stability under pressure.

In the exam, actions that protect patients, colleagues, and yourself will always score highly.
Unsafe behaviours — ignoring burnout, hiding stress, or continuing to work when impaired — always score poorly.

This section includes:

Recognising Burnout
Seeking Help for Stress / Mental Health
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Recognising Own Limitations
Managing the Emotional Impact of Clinical Work

⭐ Why this section matters for the MSRA SJT

The SJT repeatedly tests your ability to:

1️⃣ Identify when you are no longer fit to practise

This is an exam favourite.
If you are impaired, fatigued, stressed, or emotionally overwhelmed → you must step back, escalate, and seek support.

2️⃣ Prioritise safety over pride, embarrassment, or workload

The exam rewards honesty about your limits.
Hiding stress = unsafe = low scoring.

3️⃣ Use appropriate support channels

Occupational Health, clinical supervisor, GP, senior cover, protected breaks.

4️⃣ Avoid stigma or judgement

Seeking help is professional, not a weakness.

5️⃣ Maintain boundaries and work-life balance

Preventing burnout protects patients.

🔥 High-Yield Exam Principles

✓ If you are too fatigued to work safely → STOP, escalate, hand over.
✓ If you feel emotionally affected by a case → reflect + seek support.
✓ If personal stress affects judgement → speak to a senior.
✓ If a colleague shows signs of burnout → support + escalate appropriately.
✓ If workload is unsafe → raise concerns early.

These principles will carry you through almost all SJT wellbeing scenarios.

⚠️ Common Low-Scoring Behaviours (Avoid These)

Ignoring signs of burnout
Continuing to work despite emotional distress
Refusing to speak up due to embarrassment
Hiding mistakes made because of fatigue
Working beyond capacity without escalating
Minimising a colleague’s concerning behaviour

💡 Quick Memory Aid: “SAFE-ME”

A simple recall tool for the exam:

S – Speak up early
A – Acknowledge your limits
F – Fatigue = unsafe
E – Escalate to a senior
M – Maintain work-life balance
E – Emotional distress → seek help

Use SAFE-ME to quickly rank actions in wellbeing or impairment questions.

📘 What You’ll Learn in This Section

✔ How to recognise early signs of burnout
✔ How the GMC expects doctors to manage stress
✔ When and how to seek help
✔ How to escalate concerns about fitness to practise
✔ How to balance workload safely
✔ How to maintain emotional resilience during challenging shifts

These principles are essential for real clinical practice and high-scoring SJT behaviours.

MSRA SJT FAQs – Self-Care & Resilience

What does the MSRA test in self-care and resilience?
Your ability to recognise impairment, escalate concerns, and work safely.

How should I respond if I feel too tired or stressed to work safely?
Escalate to a senior immediately, step back from unsafe tasks, and arrange cover.

Is seeking help viewed negatively in the SJT?
No — seeking help is professional and scores highly.

How does burnout impact SJT scoring?
Any behaviour involving working while unsafe or ignoring burnout scores very low.