As part of the ScotGEM course, a year is spent undertaking a longitudinal integrated clerkship. I chose to come to the Highlands and wanted to be near Inverness, and I was assigned my practice in Tain. Before starting the course I had only been to Scotland twice, had never even heard of Tain, and didn’t know what to expect. Our course has an emphasis on general practice, and before starting my LIC I had enjoyed my GP placements but wasn’t sure if I would be better suited to secondary care. My main concern was that general practice meant working alone and I would miss working in a team. I also worried that there would be a lot of referring in general practice which meant not seeing a patient’s journey in secondary care. On a more general note, I was concerned that a career in medicine meant sacrificing hobbies and interests.
My time in Tain has shown me a completely different side of medicine and general practice. The GPs are highly valued and are truly integrated into the community, often knowing and caring for different generations of the same family and having an interest in their patients beyond just medicine. Many of the GPs here are also involved in social events, for example one teaches Highland dance, and another is chairman of the local pipe band. It really struck me how happy members of the practice are and how strong the sense of teamwork is. One of the biggest appeals of GP for me is the continuity of care – while many clinicians do not get the privilege of following a patient’s journey, this is often not the case with GPs. Whether it means calling in on an elderly patient, supporting a family through a bereavement, or attending a local medical emergency, the GPs go above and beyond the requirements of the role.
Whilst discovering the rural side of medicine I have also discovered a whole side to the UK that I didn’t know existed thanks to the Highlands. I have had the time to pursue hobbies with more highlights than I can mention – I’ve surfed on Dunnett Beach, climbed the Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgùrr Dearg, swam on a hot summer’s day in Loch Laggan, and had visits from local dolphins on Clashnessie beach, to name just a few. The Highlands offers a work life balance I didn’t think existed in medicine and it is testament to the work of the GPs here that general practice is my first choice going forward.
Here are some more of my photos below, and at the bottom, a time-lapse of me conquering the pinnacle!
