Trainee Testimonials

Dr Beth Osmond - ST6 GRID Trainee Neonatology training as Less Than Full Time (LTFT)

I am training to be a neonatologist, rotating between the two large neonatal units in Bristol – Southmead and St Michaels. These offer great exposure to a wide range of common and rare conditions in babies.

I am training less than full time and have two small boys. I work on average 3 shifts a week (60% of full time hours). I spend half my week being a mum of young children and doing the normal activities, play groups etc that this entails, and the other half working in the neonatal unit. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to continue in a job I love since having children. There’s also lots of scope within the deanery to get involved with non clinical activities such as research and teaching which are really enjoyable.

The deanery is very supportive of less than full time training. I can honestly say it has been very straight forward converting from my full time post. There is a good network of less than full time trainees (and we are not all women and not everyone has children). We have an online network to share tips and have met up socially. We are represented at the deanery and have a Less than Full Time Training Advisor to ensure our training needs are met.

My husband is also working part time and we share much of the childcare, I also currently use the hospital nursery which has been wonderful and we are lucky to have help from family close by.

Choosing to work part time is always going to involve compromise, both at home and at work. It obviously takes significantly longer to achieve the necessary clinical competencies and complete the programme, however there are benefits of a longer training period with more time to decide what you really want to do and build up a good cv. Shift work actually lends itself to part time training and developing skills of good handover and time management are essential in any job these days.

Balancing work and childcare from various sources demonstrates the excellent organisational skills of less than full time trainees! My children are lucky to have a lot of time with their dad, and he values being able to take a very active role in day to day family life.

So if you are thinking about joining the deanery and working in paediatrics I can thoroughly recommend the training. And if you want to work part time now, or in the future I would say go for it!

Dr Anna Seale - Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF)

I am a specialist trainee (ST) and academic clinical fellow (ACF) in paediatrics. I came to Bristol in 2008 to start my ST, following a year working as a research fellow in Kenya and having completed foundation training in Edinburgh.

I have been supported and encouraged in pursuing my clinical and research interests in paediatric infectious diseases in Bristol, and am currently developing research in maternal and perinatal health in Kilifi, Kenya. I hope to develop this further with a proposed research training fellowship on Group B Streptococcus.

I started Paediatrics as an ST1 in 2008 with Severn Deanery and spent my first year in Taunton, a busy district general hospital. Most trainees are in DGH’s for their first year of training and it’s a fantastic idea as you get to see a bit of everything and really get to know how to manage bread and butter things! I have spent my ST2 year in Bristol Children’s Hospital, which again has been brilliant, with an emphasis on experiencing core specialties in a tertiary centre. The two years have been a wonderful complement so far and have given me strong interests in pursuing Paediatric Cardiology and Acute Paediatrics.

Paediatrics as a specialty is brilliant. If you like Medicine and children then it will suit you well. This may sound a bit of a simple idea but there is a lot of fascinating pathology to see and your clinical skills really come first in your medical assessment, unlike some other specialties where tests can come before examination these days. Every day of my job is different and stimulating. On a ward round I see a cute baby one minute followed by a stroppy teenager the next…. The diversity is great! It’s also a very hands-on specialty ranging from using different examination skills related to age to complex practical procedures.

I always wanted to work with children, stemming back from my gap year in Africa and up to my attachment as a medical student in Gloucester! I trained at Bristol University, did my Foundation Training here and was certain I wanted to specialise in Paediatrics here. Funnily enough, writing that sentence only just makes me realise that I’ve been in the same city for 10 years!! It may sound boring having stayed in one place but actually Bristol has changed so much and is an ever-evolving city surrounded by lovely countryside and wonderful people. It’s definitely true (case in point) that once here, you really don’t want to leave!

I would always recommend Paediatrics as a career. It is hard work but worth every minute and most of all it’s fun and full of surprises!

Dr Laura Hole - ST6

I am currently an ST6 Trainee and have worked in paediatrics in Severn since 2004. I graduated from Nottingham University in 2001. I was firstly seduced by the lifestyle that the South-West has to offer and subsequently have been lucky to learn that my happiness at work and training needs would certainly not be compromised as a result. I was initially an ‘old-fashioned SHO’ and following the completion of my rotation from Gloucester, Cheltenham, St Michael’s and Bristol Children’s Hospital I spent a year as a middle grade in Taunton and the Children’s Hospital prior to commencing run-through training.

The rotations available in Severn enable the trainee to have exposure to a huge range of clinical specialities. There are a number of district general hospitals offering excellent grounding in general paediatrics. The Children’s hospital in Bristol offers all major clinical sub-specialties and the ability to continue working on the National GRID within these specialties. Bristol also provides two Level 3 neonatal units, tertiary experience in neurosurgery and burns and a large PICU that looks after cardiac and general patients.

My career intention is to be a general paediatrician with a clinical interest in respiratory and acute paediatrics. During my level 3 training I have therefore been able to concentrate on this by working in the respiratory department, PICU and the Emergency department. I also have interests in education and teaching. With regards to teaching I am currently studying for the teaching certificate, Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals which is available at the University of Bristol. I am also an APLS and NLS instructor. I am proud to be able to represent my colleagues at the RCPCH as the South-Western representative on the Trainees’ Committee and represent trainees nationally on the E-portfolio Management committee. I also represent the ST4-8/SpR trainees on the paediatric School Board. It would be unrealistic to expect that training in Severn is perfect but any trainee concerns I have raised have always been listened to and acted on promptly. There have been many challenges to training in all specialties and the school has been flexible and innovative throughout this difficult time. The School Board has high expectations of the hospitals in the region and quality assurance of training is a priority. My educational supervisors have always been supportive of my training need , helped me to plan study leave and supported me in clinical governance and research projects.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to live in Bristol and commute to all parts of the rotation which is true of most of Severn. It is truly a fantastic city to live in and I’ve made some great friends (mostly at work!) Like many of my colleagues, now I’m here I really don’t ever want to leave!

Dr James Seddon - OOPE

I arrived in the Severn Deanery in 2007 and spent two excellent years working at Gloucester and Cheltenham as a paediatric registrar - fun, well-supported, interesting patient mix, excellent colleagues and good facilities. As a trainee, the Severn Deanery is a unique place as it not only boasts some of the finest district general hospitals in the country but also a state-of-the-art specialist children’s hospital. Bristol as a city is amazing – large enough to have everything that could be offered but small enough to be manageable, intimate and friendly. You are situated within striking distance of the mountains of South Wales and the delights of the West Country. However, you are also pretty close to London, Birmingham and the rest of the country. Bristol is a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts and excellent mountain biking and hiking are right on your doorstep. The rest of the towns in the region are fun and friendly and the Cotswolds are easily accessible.

I trained at Cambridge and Imperial and after a year in Australia undertook my Senior House Officer training in London. Following that, I spent nine months with Médecins San Frontières doing some relief medicine in Côte D’Ivoire and three months as an expedition doctor in Patagonia. I am currently in Cape Town studying for a PhD and looking into paediatric multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The Severn Deanery has been very supportive of my slightly unconventional career path and I am looking forward to returning to the deanery to complete my paediatric training when I have finished my PhD. Ultimately I would like to work in paediatric Infectious Diseases and International Child Health

Dr Dan Magnus - ST4

Severn Deanery Paediatrics. Just Do It.

I am a year 4 paediatrics trainee here in the Severn Deanery and if I am honest I would have to testify to the fact that I ended up both living here and doing paediatrics largely by chance. When I first moved to the region I wasn’t sure what to expect but I can now safely say that there is nowhere in the UK that I would rather live. Similarly paediatrics was not “something I always knew I wanted to do” but it is the most wonderful speciality, there is nothing else I would rather do and the Severn Deanery is the most fantastic place in which to do it.

For those who seek it here you will find in the Severn Deanery something akin to a large extended family. There is a close knit community of trainees, consultants and deanery leadership who, if accessed properly, can provide a wealth of experience and expertise, support and advice, training and guidance. There is also a good social network and the opportunity to make good friends and colleagues who will be with you for the duration of your training.

My special interest is in Global Child Health and alongside my clinical commitments in paediatrics I run a charity supporting programmes for orphans and vulnerable children in east Africa and also lead the Unit for Maternal and Child Health on the International Health BSc at Bristol University. These commitments are a challenge but the Severn Deanery has been supportive in allowing me the time to pursue my interests and there are many opportunities locally for people with an interest in global health.

We have been able to take doctors and nurses from the deanery over to Africa to run rural medical camps and programmes of education and training and the chair of the International Child Health Group for the RCPCH is currently in Bristol. I am looking at expanding global health in the undergraduate medical curriculum, forging my own research interests in global child health and looking forward to the development of global child health as a discrete special interest/speciality in the region. These are all made possible by a deanery that allows and nurtures this kind of ambition.

The hospitals in the deanery are largely of a very high standard and are enjoyable places to work. Of course there are challenges as in all training regions but overall you will find an ethos that promotes good training and teaching for those who want it as well as a culture of openness, dialogue and discussion to facilitate the best possible development for trainees.

On a personal level it is mostly good fun and a sense of belonging that I would recommend most highly about paediatrics in this part of the country. I wake up nearly every day and feel excited about going to work. I have shared laughs, giggles and the occasional tear with the teams with whom I have worked and I feel like I am part of a paediatric community are mostly all pulling in the same direction. High quality and enjoyable training in a beautiful part of the country is what paediatrics here means to me. Add to that Balloon fiestas, stunning historic towns, lush countryside, outdoor activities and culture and nightlife and you have the recipe for an ideal setting for the ideal speciality.

Dr Dan Magnus
Specialist Trainee Paediatrics, Severn Deanery
Unit Lead Maternal and Child Health, Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, University of Bristol
KOP Co-Founder and Trustee

Dr Sam O'Hare - ST6 GRID Trainee

I came to the Southwest region from Nottingham in 2002 to start my Paediatric SHO training. After jobs in Taunton and Yeovil I moved up to Bristol and have never really left! After my SHO rotation and a middle grade neonatal post I fancied a change, but knew I wanted to come back to Bristol for Registrar training. I went travelling in South America for 3 months and then spent a fantastic year working in Christchurch, New Zealand. On return, I did core Registrar training in Gloucester and Cheltenham hospitals (a manageable commute from Bristol) and am now back in Bristol working in paediatric intensive care. After a scary interview at the RCPCH I managed to get one of the Neonatal GRID training posts in Bristol so am now destined to become a Neonatologist!

The Southwest is a very friendly region and people are always on hand to help if you need advice and support. Most Consultants are very approachable and genuinely interested in you as a person - the region has a small feel and you soon get to know your fellow trainees. There are lots of opportunities to develop professionally - many of us have done teaching and/or instructor training and I am in the final stages of a 2 year MSc in Health Care Ethics and Law with the University of Bristol. This has been hard work, but very interesting and a very different challenge to my everyday work.

It's certainly not all work in the SouthWest though! Part of the appeal for me is that Bristol has the best of both worlds - it is a vibrant city with lots going on (plenty of music events, theatre, great shopping and there is a general buzz about the place!) Geographically it is great too - less than 2 hours from London and with Devon and Cornwall on the doorstep there are some lovely places to get away during those weekends off! Work/life balance is very important in medicine - I've recently joined the Bristol Musical Comedy Club and took part in their production of Guys and Dolls. Whatever you enjoy doing, you'll find opportunities to do it in the Southwest and I couldn't recommend it highly enough as a place to live and work! So come and join us - you won't regret it!!

Dr Charlotte Mellor, SpR

I am one of the paediatric SpRs, about to start my final year of training this coming September. I did my undergraduate training in Bristol and, after a brief dalliance with A&E in Australia settled into a career in paediatrics with my first SHO post in Gloucester in 2001.

I developed an interest in paediatric palliative medicine some years ago and have just completed two years of what has now been recognised as grid but which was initially out-of-programme training in Cardiff. I continue to work towards a career in this young, but rapidly evolving specialty. Aiming to secure one of a very small number of consultant posts is exciting but sometimes daunting. I continue to be grateful for the unfailing support and encouragement of trainers in Bristol.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the last few years. Working within the Severn deanery has allowed me to live in Bristol – admittedly becoming closely acquainted with the M4 and M5, but settling in one place nonetheless.

I would highly recommend the training programme for paediatrics within the Severn deanery.