There’s a lot of pressure on young doctors to go straight into specialty training and tick certain boxes for fear of damaging their career chances.
I never planned on having a conventional career in medicine. I always wanted to do relief work and work in the international healthcare setting.
Earlier this year I travelled to Iraq to be part of a medical mission with a small NGO called Global Kindness Foundation.
They set up dental clinics and optometrists in schools in Najaf and Karbala. These schools are mainly attended by orphans and disadvantaged children. We set up a rudimentary clinic and as the only female doctor on the trip I provided primary care and health check ups to girls from between the ages of 6-18 years of age.
I’ve also visited Northern Greece with another NGO called Health Point Foundation as their co-ordinator on ground for 3 months. We were the main providers of dental care to over 15 camps within that region. Everyday we’d pack our clinic equipment into a car and set up in a new camp. I was involved with inducting, supervising and assisting the dental volunteers. I was also the main liaison for regional government and other NGOs in the health sector and worked hard to expand our efforts to the refugees in other camps or squats.
After that I went onto study for a diploma in tropical medicine and hygiene. I’ve since been out to Lebanon to assist in the set up of medical clinics for refugees close to the Syrian border.
Why did I get involved in these projects? It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.
I worked as a locum doctor in between trips, which meant I had the choice of working or the freedom to leave the country for months at a time – something I couldn’t have done in specialty training. I was also fortunate enough to visit Sri Lanka, Turkey, Switzerland and Germany in this time.
I know the experiences I have had are beyond value and have given me skills that will be an asset in the future.
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