By Sunila J Prasad
On the 9th September 2015, Imperial Academic Health
Science Centre (AHSC) in collaboration with Health Education North West London
(HENWL) and Hammersmith & Fulham GP Federation hosted the event ‘GP
Careers in the 21st Century’ at Charing Cross Campus, Imperial
College London.
The
event aimed to promote the breadth and variety of careers within General
Practice and attendees which included medical students, GP trainees and senior
colleagues, heard from a number of speakers. As a fifth year medical student
who was curious about what a career in General Practice could possibly entail,
I looked forward to hearing about the diversity of opportunities available in
this arena of medicine, as well as learning about what the future of General
Practice may hold for myself and my fellow colleagues.
The
programme of listed speakers alone was an initial indicator of how rich and
rewarding a career in General Practice could potentially be. Topics covered
throughout the day included careers in urgent care, portfolio GP careers,
clinical leadership, teaching and research and specialist interests. Amongst
all the unique career paths presented, each speaker first and foremost conveyed
their passion for their job. This
passion was centred on having the opportunity to build relationships with and help
patients in their practice. This element
of General Practice, which many speakers described as the ‘bread and butter’ of
their work is the main aspect of General Practice undergraduate students are
primarily exposed to. However, as the day went on it became apparent that,
beyond the walls of the consulting room, General Practice held a myriad
creative and immensely rewarding avenues for career development.
A
particular highlight of the day was learning about the concept of a portfolio
career, a talk delivered by Dr Graham Easton. Dr Easton, who presented his
typical week of work to the audience conveyed the unique property of General Practice
in its potential to be specifically shaped around an individual’s interests.
From working in the media to teaching, Dr Easton’s presentation of his
portfolio career emphasised that despite the unpredictability a portfolio
career may have, the autonomy and flexibility of this particular pathway
allowed a great opportunity to maintain personal skills and interests alongside
clinical practice.
As a
medical student, being constantly exposed to negative media surrounding the NHS,
as well as hearing disillusioned accounts from senior colleagues on placements
has at times left myself and many of my colleagues worrying about where our
training will take us in the future. However, as Dr James Cavanagh explained in
his talk about clinical leadership, in the context of change and restructuring
of health services offered to the public, the act of worrying is fruitless.
Instead, the ability to draw on our leadership skills to tackle the potentially
challenging factors that may affect our careers and patient service is key.
Seeing each speaker talk about their own particular pursuit with such genuine enthusiasm was inspiring and allowed me to appreciate General Practice as an area of medicine that is at the forefront of innovation in delivering healthcare to the public. Overall, the conference emphasised that the future of careers in General Practice relies on those providing care to do so in a dynamic way, utilising the multi-disciplinary nature of the profession to provide the best possible care for patients. The event offered a refreshing outlook on careers in General Practice and I look forward to finding out more about what General Practice entails in my future placements.
Seeing each speaker talk about their own particular pursuit with such genuine enthusiasm was inspiring and allowed me to appreciate General Practice as an area of medicine that is at the forefront of innovation in delivering healthcare to the public. Overall, the conference emphasised that the future of careers in General Practice relies on those providing care to do so in a dynamic way, utilising the multi-disciplinary nature of the profession to provide the best possible care for patients. The event offered a refreshing outlook on careers in General Practice and I look forward to finding out more about what General Practice entails in my future placements.
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