How to become a regional adviser

I guess you are reading this as you have an affinity with or link to the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). But is the RCP the organisation that you want it to be? Are we focused on the right policy aims? Do we reflect and support you and your teams in the challenges you see every day in your practice? Do you feel represented by us?

I became actively engaged with the RCP in Wales because I wanted to belong to a professional body that represented me, celebrated our strengths and successes, and actively influenced UK health policy.

I became a regional adviser (RA) in 2015, from the small specialty of medical oncology. I wondered if people would feel that I didn’t understand the real challenges of acute care, but I have found that my specialist knowledge of cancer patients in acute care, and expertise in patient-centered and end-of-life care has been very valuable. Also, the best oncologists remain generalist in my book!

As a new RA you join an established team and there has always been someone to guide and support me in the role. I have really enjoyed widening my horizons. Quickly, I became a key part of the Wales Medicine Update: helping to choose speakers, chair sessions etc. I quickly found myself on a conference panel where I talked about the challenges of working and being a parent. I was definitely nervous, but the support from past vice president (VP) for Wales, Gareth Llewelyn, and current VP, Olwen Williams, was always there. Over the past 5 years I have revamped the poster competition, delivered acute oncology webinars during COVID-19, chaired conference sessions, joined the presidential visits to local hospitals and best of all, met a wide range of colleagues across the UK. Perhaps most dauntingly, I was given the opportunity to represent the RCP in the media and highlight the devastating impact of delayed cancer diagnosis on our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like many of us, I want to do everything I can to protect patients, and our professional values, as the challenges in the NHS mount. The RCP has given me this platform. I was elected to Council in 2022 and was delighted to be elected to become VP for Wales in 2023. I will be working to maintain professional standards in Wales, focusing on where we can really influence health inequalities and health policy. I will be supporting our trainees, SAS doctors and consultants, and future leaders – whatever their background or route into UK medicine.

So, if you are interested in education, training, policy or the future of the NHS and would like to be part of a strong voice for the profession – do apply to be an RA. Please don’t think you aren’t the right fit, or in the right specialty. The RCP is a college for all physicians, and its strength lies in reflecting the diversity of our profession and our patients.

PS – Don’t worry if you are not very good at remembering RCP acronyms and committee structures – I am still learning!

As a relative ‘newbie’ regional adviser (RA), I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend taking on this role. In a time when practising medicine can feel quite disheartening and frustrating, being an RCP RA gives me a sense of fulfilment and belonging to my region and the RCP as a whole. It was daunting at first, but the amount of support I received from a network of RAs, RCP representatives, and regional managers and coordinators have made the job easier.

My medical training was in London, from medical student to consultant. I still remember that my first line in my UCAS application form was ‘Medicine is both an art and a science’. It’s a bit cringe-worthy thinking about it now after more than 20 years, but I still believe that  having the art of compassion and continually developing  scientific knowledge is crucial for physicians to maintain professional standards. I always tell my patients or people interested in doing medicine that it was Dr Doug Ross (aka George Clooney from ER) who inspired me to choose medicine. We usually have a good laugh and they would agree he was a good model doctor.

After 5 years as a substantive consultant in diabetes and endocrinology and acute medicine, I was looking for new challenges. A chance email led me to find out more about the role from Dr David Cohen, our previous RA for the London (North West) region. He has been an absolutely amazing mentor by giving me his personal experiences as an RA and providing guidance on the first few new consultant job descriptions that I reviewed as a new RA. We are the link between local physician colleagues and the RCP, highlighting issues and helping to make changes. I felt privileged to be working as an RA during the COVID-19 pandemic as it brought to light the issues surrounding doctors’ wellbeing, training and the enormous pressures on our medical workforce, and what everyone is doing to manage this.

What advice would I give to someone who wants to become an RA? If you are interested in education and training and keen to be get involved with the RCP, go for it! Read up about the role on the RCP website, including the annual census and policy workforce. The RCP also provides a guidance manual for RAs on ‘approving job descriptions’. Most importantly, speak to your current RAs.