From Medical School to the NHS and now the British Army.
After graduating from Queen's University Belfast with a degree in Medicine, I returned to the South West to complete my Foundation Years at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. At the end of FY1 I was slightly disillusioned with medicine and started looking at alternatives to commencing specialty training after FY2. I heard from a colleague that the Army accepted post FY2 Doctors and decided to explore it as an option. And subsequently here I am! I commissioned from RMAS in Dec 2016 after completing the Professionally Qualified Officers Commissioning Course. I then spent the next few years as a General Duties Medical Officer (GDMO) before choosing to train in General Practice. After finishing my GP training I started as the Regimental Medical Officer for one of our armoured infantry units. The Army has provided me with the opportunity to build my career, but also has enabled me to remember why I chose to study Medicine in the first place.
I am the Regimental Medical Officer for an Infantry Unit.
I am a qualified general practitioner who provides primary care to soldiers and their dependents. I also manage the occupational medicine requirements of the infantry unit I am assigned to.
I deploy with my unit when required and provide pre-hospital care.
I have a small team consisting of CMTs and a nurse who work both in the medical centre with me and on deployments.
Varied and challenging day to day work.
Don't give up!
All doctors at some point will have a difficult time, and many will have considered leaving medicine or the NHS. That might be why you are reading this! I am very glad that I decided to find a different way to continue my career, and would recommend that anyone having doubts has a look to see what else is available. If you love adventure and a bit of a challenge, the Army is an excellent opportunity. You will need to take 3 years out between FY2 and starting specialty training, but most Army doctors will tell you this is the most enjoyable 3 years of your career!
After those 3 years, you will likely have a great looking CV and a much clearer idea of what you want to specialise in. The majority of doctors will stay employed by the Army during the training years, although some may choose to return to the NHS to train, this is usually if they decide to do a specialty that the Army doesn't provide (eg Paediatrics).
It has been an excellent career change for me, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.
Being selected for the Army Ski Team.
After finishing FY2 I felt like my life had become all about medicine. I had no time to do anything else!
So my achievement I am most proud of is nothing to do with medicine. I am most proud that I found a way to learn a new sport and do well at it. I am proud that there is more to my life now than just work, and that I have the time to try new sports and activities and really enjoy my free time.
While the army has provided me many opportunities to further my career (they are excellent at supporting courses and helping you build a CV), and I am proud of how I have developed as a clinician over the past few years, they have also provided me with plenty of opportunities to develop myself as a person as well.
