Actually that question should be prefaced by why did I do medicine? Well I never thought of anything else – before I knew the university course was called medicine I wanted to be a doctor. Probably from the age of about 9 or 10. Which makes me very lucky in some respects. It meant that I knew where I was going. All of my senior (high) school I had a direction, get the grades to be able to do the right A’levels. Get the grades in my A’levels to get me to medical school.
Blagging my way through medical school interviews was harder – “Why do you want to do medicine?” “Dunno, I just do, always have…”
I was bright enough and worked hard enough that I got where I needed to go. I realise now that is unusual, in that lots of people don’t know what they want to do in life. I also realise now that that doesn’t matter a jot. Life has a way of working itself out – the only thing I will say is that once you do work out what you want to do the secret to success is generally hard work. And if you work hard then you’ll reduce the amount of luck that you need. There’s plenty of luck going on out there folks. The other message is: once you’re moving, if you want to keep moving be civil. That luck we speak of seems to coalesce around civilised people more often, somebody will remember you as a hardworking, decent individual and then they’ll recommend you for something…
I had a loose idea that I wanted to do orthopaedic surgery when I was at medical school. But a seed was planted in my third year. I had three weeks of anaesthetics (and I was sick for one of them), I had no idea really what anaesthetics was up until that point. But suddenly a consultant anaesthetist took time to teach me, scary because he wanted answers, but he knew I could come up with answers. Not the usual practice of assuming I didn’t have a clue (true as it happened). But not only that, he was civil to me. Treated me like an adult even though I was 21 and didn’t know my arse from my elbow.
So that little seed sat in the back of my mind. I did 6 weeks of orthopaedics in New Zealand in my fourth year and came to the conclusion it was posh carpentry. (sorry).
But I was still thinking about trauma and acute medicine – so I did 6 months of Emergency, which was miserable for me, other people like it. I applied for anaesthetics but was told I was too junior and to do some general medicine. Which I did and was okay but still not for me.
I applied again – this time getting a really good job in Bridgend, South Wales. I had it in my head that if I didn’t like anaesthetics I would do radiology. But anaesthetics it was and still is.
So why still is? I like how broad ranging the specialty is, it interacts with all the craft groups across the hospital (anaesthetists have involvement with 60% of in-patients). I like how when I look after a patient I can look after that patient and no-one else, I can’t really leave, it’s bad form. I like the instant gratification of drugs and airways and regional anaesthesia, I like that every now and then I get to look after the sickest of sick patients, I like that we’re here to help – most other specialties are glad to see us, because we’re helping them work, not creating work for them. I love my colleagues in anaesthesia (well most of them). They’re nice people, who look out for each other, who want to teach junior colleagues, who have a great work ethic, who are at the forefront of patient safety and human factors and simulation.
I also like that I can generally leave my work at the hospital, I don’t have inpatients. I like that anaesthesia is incredibly safe and that I’m unlikely to cause patients harm. (although if it does go wrong… oh gosh…)
And medicine? It’s true I get paid well for my work, I have job security and decent conditions. Especially here in Australia.
I’d do it all again if I had to – but only if I couldn’t be a fighter pilot…
PS Thanks Dr Stacey