Stepping off the training treadmill | SAS wellbeing

Taking the decision to leave a formal training route in my medical career was the best decision for me. At the time I was told that I would regret it and that my skills and career prospects would be severely limited, particularly working in a small hospital such as Bronglais in Aberystwyth.

The role of ‘SAS’ wasn’t even on my radar at the time, and actually, I had never even heard of the term. I just knew I needed to get off the training treadmill. Sadly, after the 2 years of core surgical training, I had come to feel quite disillusioned by it all and although I had worked my hardest to pursue this route and feeling very conflicted, it was a straightforward decision to leave. As my late grandmother would always ask me, ‘are you happy?’.

So, putting all energies into self-efficacy, I bit the bullet; defied my superiors; gambled with my hard-earned career and took a substantive clinical fellow post in my preferred hospital, Bronglais, spending a year and a half in this role. It gave me the space I needed to regain confidence, learn new skills without the pressure of arbitrary targets and gave me time to figure out what I wanted for my career.

I was then appointed as a specialty doctor and, 5 months into this, I was also appointed as the SAS tutor for Hywel Dda University Health Board, a role which I continue to love. It was this role that opened my eyes to the variety of opportunities that are out there for SAS doctors and how we can shape our careers in a diverse way.

Six years after making that decision to leave formal training, I have enjoyed a host of opportunities, including being a medical school examiner, a clinical supervisor, honorary senior lecturer as well as working as a full-time specialty doctor in urology (seconded from general surgery), an SAS tutor and a medical examiner. Being an SAS doctor has allowed me to have flexibility and choice, something I found missing in training.

Over the years, the SAS network has grown considerably, not just within Hywel Dda University Health Board, but across the whole of the UK and it’s great to see so much support for and recognition of the role as well as being part of the positive changes of SAS. I have met and worked with so many like-minded people, which is quite refreshing.

Taking a moment to reflect back on those words of advice I received; I feel they were well-intentioned but perhaps somewhat myopic. We advise patients and colleagues, friends and family on what we know best, what is familiar, and usually what is our own choice of action. The unknown routes are not often favoured because they can be unpredictable or feared. There are pros and cons to everything in life, and medicine is no different. Horses for courses, and all that.

SAS isn’t for everyone, but I have never regretted my choice of leaving formal training and becoming an SAS doctor.

Tips

• Think about what makes you happy and where you’d like to be in 5 years’ time
• Consider what roles would benefit/complement your career
• Seek out and ask for opportunities
• Diversify.