Why I left medicine and came back
Dr Ahmed Shahrabani,
Co-Founder of Locum’s Nest
In 2016, I left medicine to focus on building Locum’s Nest and it wasn't an easy decision, although at the time, it felt like the right one. Fast forward to 2020, COVID-19 hit, and everything changed. The General Medical Council (GMC) issued a call to arms announcement for doctors to help with the crisis, and I felt a duty to help in any way I could. Despite having been out of medicine for four years by then, I decided to answer the call and return to the profession. I took an intensive course to get back up to speed with training and then shadowed my colleagues for a week before starting work as the Respiratory COVID on-call SHO at my local Trust. With the support of my friends, family, and the Locum's Nest Board, I was able to continue my on-call work during weekends throughout the entirety of the pandemic.
As the pandemic began to ease, I realised that I wanted to return to a specialty that I was particularly fond of: Psychiatry. I had done my elective in Iraq, working in a state-owned psychiatric hospital over there, and I was reminded of why I embarked on my medical journey in the first place. Working with Locum's Nest allows me to reach and help many people by changing the way the NHS workforce is seen and managed and we’re incredibly proud of the impact and real change we’ve made thus far, but I personally missed the one-to-one patient-doctor interactions and their honest and transparent nature. So today, out-of-hours, you’ll find me across University College London Hospital, the Whittington hospital sites and Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust’s community sites.
Returning to medicine has been a real journey of discovery for me. I found that the life of a junior doctor has changed in a lot of ways since 2016 - what was relevant back then isn’t necessarily of the utmost importance today. For example, the fixation on climbing the ladder as quickly as possible to become a consultant or GP has definitely decreased, and there is much more awareness of what it's like to have a good quality of life whilst being successful - there is a real movement of ‘portfolio clinicians’ or ‘medicpreneurs’ who have turned their hobbies and passions into real alternative careers. Doctors are working as hard as ever these days and I’m glad I’m meeting so many different doctors across London and being able to speak to them about their journeys. Medical School, our Foundation Training, and beyond equip doctors with skill-sets that are extremely desirable to employers outside of the NHS and I feel very strongly that we, the NHS, should continue to be more and more accommodating to this and diversify the potential routes to climb the ladder up to Consultant/GP.
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to point the finger and blame the NHS for being rigid in its training pathways and flexible work opportunities. However, many forward-thinking Trust leaders are working to change this and that’s something we continue to see at Locum’s Nest while talking to and working with NHS Trusts across the UK. This is also highlighted by the ongoing work of various teams implementing the NHS People Plan and Promise, outlining the strategic direction for workforce development and engagement in the NHS. This is critical work needed to improve recruitment, retention, and training of healthcare professionals, enhance their wellbeing and work-life balance, and promote diversity and inclusivity in the NHS workforce. Progress is happening; I am privileged to work across multiple Trusts, and the best Trusts are those that treat their staff like their customers, even better, their family. More and more Trusts I engage with sit within this category, but there is still a long way to go for the NHS as a whole.
All in all, returning to medicine has been a fulfilling journey for me. It has given me the opportunity to rekindle my passion for being a doctor, work in an area of medicine that I love, and be a part of a new wave of doctors who also prioritise well-being and work-life balance. I hope that the NHS will continue to evolve to meet the needs of its healthcare professionals, and that we will get better at recognising and rewarding the true value of our workforce.
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And on a final note, if you're a fellow doctor, healthcare professional or just curious about the medical world, I'd love to hear your thoughts or even your own story! Shoot me a message on LinkedIn or send an email to ahmed@locumsnest.co.uk.