ABOUT

Tell us who you are!

My name is Rumana and I'm a GP, working part-time in the NHS. I also freelance as a creative/blogger but I'll be focussing on the GP side of my life!

So what do you actually do?

I provide healthcare to patients in a GP surgery rather than a hospital. As a General Practitioner, I practice general medicine, which basically means a bit of everything!

From babies all the way through the the older population, for things like coughs and colds, physical conditions, mental health and chronic conditions. In surgery, on the telephone, home visits too.

I also manage other things like prescriptions and all the letters from the hospital and paperwork from other places too.

What has your career path been?

I've had a pretty typical medical career path but I've also really enjoyed diversifying my interests over the years. I started on the medical treadmill from my A-levels, then straight into medical school at UCL for 6 years.

Then I went into foundation training (F1 and F2)- which are the first 2 years of being a junior doctor. But I've always had an interest in teaching, so I also completed post-graduate degrees in Medical Education alongside my training gaining a PG Diploma. That interest actually led me to take an "F3" or like a gap year in medical training, and instead I worked as a Clinical Teaching Fellow teaching medical students back at UCLMS. It was this year which really cemented the fact that I could be a doctor and have other interests (like teaching or my craft blog).

After that I went into GP training which is a three year training programme but I had my daughter in my 2nd year and then went part-time so only finished my training in Jan 2021 (as opposed to 2019).

After I finished my training I've been working as a salaried GP two days a week, and then one day of creative freelancing/blogging. But I'm also keeping my teaching hat on and hope to take that further in the future.

But this juggling of different interests really helps me find joy in my work. It provides that much needed work-life-balance which is essential to avoid burnout in this career.

What is the best part of your job?

How many people know their childhood GPs? One of the great things about this job is that you get to know your patients really well and often get to know entire families. It's really nice to be able to walk along side patients and support them when they need it.

I know it's a bit cliché but it is a really special and privileged role which can see us being a part of someone's life at their highest and lowest points and even more rewarding when you get to see them come through it.

Why do you do your job?

It's interesting, it's dynamic and it keeps me on my feet. I love that about this job. I don't know who is going to walk through my door- and with every patient the situation changes.

And aside from the medical aspect of it, it's just so much fun talking to so many different people. You definitely won't get bored.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

There's a lot of negativity around GPs at the moment and it's easy to feel overwhelmed by everything.

I think the best piece of advice is to hold on to what it is you love about the job. Governments and policies, departments, processes will always change, it will come and go.

What won't change is what we do, day to day and the opportunities we get to make a real difference to our communities.

Any parting words?

I know I just wrote a lot and a typical day in GP might sound a bit intense or intimidating- and I won't lie. It is! But every time I'm asked if I would ever give it up, I can honestly say "no". It's a truly unique job and I do love it. But I also recognise the strain we are currently under in the NHS.

I think it's important to recognise this, but also important to make sure you create a work life that doesn't turn your life into work. For me, working part-time and having a creative balance is key to this. I craft for my mental well being, where others might cook, play sport etc.

It is vital to carve out that time for yourself. For me they work hand in hand, making me a better doctor.

Check out Rumana’s socials below!

DAY IN THE LIFE

This is a great question because I'm not sure people really understand what GPs do! Are you ready for this?

Like most GPs, I'm in early before the day technically starts to get a head start. I settle down with my tea in a Thermos mug (my top tip to keep my tea warm for my whole clinic!) and log on to the computer- I'll be spending a lot of time there!

First thing I do is check my "tasks" which might have urgent queries from the reception or colleagues, or reminders I've sent myself e.g. "call patient X about their x-ray". Alongside that I'll also have documents to review and action. You know how when you go to A&E, or call 111? Or see a consultant in a hospital clinic?

All those letters come back to your GP so it's our job to go through these, action anything like changes to medication or book follow up for things that need a review. I like to clear these before my morning clinic starts. If I have time before my first patient I'll also work through the lab results. These are the blood tests or scan results I've requested. Again I'll have to go through each one and file them as normal or action any abnormal ones. Usually by this point I need to start my clinic at 9am.

At the moment my surgery is running a telephone triage system which means all patients speak to a doctor on the phone before being brought in for face to face appointments. We run dedicated face to face clinics as well as bringing in patients outside of this whenever there is a need to see someone for an examination. So depending on the day, I might be seeing patients face to face all morning or starting on the phone.

I'll work through my morning clinic with 10min for each patient (around 13-15 patients). Seeing patients means: taking a history i.e. finding out why they've come/what the problem is and asking them more specific details about this. Then I'll examine them before agreeing on a treatment plan. This might include a prescription or referral, or even a discussion with the specialists if it's more urgent.

Each patient interaction is unique and you never know what the clinic will bring! By the time I'm done with my morning clinic it takes me to 12pm (or more likely 12:30pm as I never run on time!)

I'll then work through the admin of the morning clinic- so sending referrals, requesting tests etc. Then there's usually a clinical meeting over lunchtime (if there's time for lunch) where we either discuss complex cases or share some teaching between us. This is actually a really nice break away from my room and it's always nice to catch up with the other staff.

Over the lunch-break I'll also make a start on the prescriptions- all prescription requests need to be signed off- even repeat prescriptions. I'll screen these and issue them, whilst also making sure patient's have their medication reviews up to date- requesting any outstanding blood tests etc.

This always takes longer than I expect it to. 2pm will creep up on me and before I know it, it's time for my afternoon clinic. This is much the same as the morning, with a mix of telephone and face to face consults.

Throughout the day I'll be sent more queries, labs or urgent medication requests as well. I'll finish off by making sure I've cleared all my paperwork, called any patients I wanted to check up on or update and then check my tray upstairs.

This will usually have any reports I need to complete e.g. universal credit forms or child protection reports. Once I'm done with all of that, I'm absolutely knackered and my brain is fried and I'm ready for home.