Thrival guide – Glan Clwyd, Wales

Date created: March 2026, written by Jessica LaCourse (F2)

Glan Clwyd – a guide to your rotation is a complete guide to all the hospital departments, F1 roles and responsibilities and Glan Clwyd “must knows” and is available on the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) Foundation Programme Information webpage or by contacting one of the local mentors.

Mentor bios

Background: I’m from Southampton and trained in London.

Choices: North Wales wasn’t my first choice. However, I feel that I have made some great friends here and we have a supportive postgraduate department.

Interests and hobbies: I’ve enjoyed exploring beaches in North Wales, visiting towns and cities nearby that I would never have visited being a Southerner. Trying out local food as been a big highlight too.

Best thing about training in this location: The best thing about training here is the people. Generally, people are very friendly and other F1s and F2s are very supportive. I feel that I am closer to my cohort than I would be if I was in a larger teaching hospital. The free accommodation is also a big plus.

Contact details: simisola.onanuga@wales.nhs.uk

Background: I’m from Bangor and trained in Manchester.

Choices: Wales was my fourth choice, North Wales 1st choice and Glan Clwyd was my second choice. I like the smaller hospital as everyone knows each other and it is very friendly. I feel supported whilst being independent and I didn’t expect to have both.

Interests and hobbies: I love visiting the beaches, hiking and walking in the area. The Girls in Wales society put on lots of events which I enjoy. It’s helped me meet lots of people.

Best thing about training in this location: Training is very general but also varied and is not too niche compared to some other training programmes. It is very supportive and there are good training opportunities if you show interest and get under someone’s wing.

Contact details: sarah.horne@wales.nhs.uk

Background: I’m from Warwick and trained at Liverpool Medical School.

Choices: Glan Clwyd/North Wales wasn’t my first choice – it has pleasantly surprised me in the sense that most staff are quite friendly and keen for you to develop skills and work towards becoming an independent clinical practitioner. I have been able to play an active role in patient care in situations I may not have had the chance to experience in another hospital.

Interests and hobbies: Going to the gym and spending time with friends and family.

Best thing about training in this location: I think the free accommodation has been very helpful particularly with regards to settling down in a new environment – also working at a small district general hospital means that I’ve got the opportunity to get to know my colleagues better and this plays a role in having a positive working environment.

Contact details: tharunrajasekar6@gmail.com

Life at Glan Clwyd

Betsi Cadwaladr Doctor Society (BCDS) was set up in 2024 to help people new to the area get the chance to explore as well as socialise with their new colleagues. Foundation doctors and PAs make up a large part of the society, but everyone is welcome to all of our events! Our events include charity football matches, an Annual Ball, charity hikes, bonfire night, ‘paint & sip’, pub crawls. Basically something for everyone!

Follow us on @betsi.doctors.society for our events!

Nature

North Wales is blessed with some of the most beautiful views and hikes. Below is a list of the ‘must-see’ places over the two years! There are so many more places than listed, but here are some to start .

Hikes and walks

  • Snowdonia
  • Moel Famau
  • Betws-Y-Coed
  • Aber falls
  • Great Orme

Sites

  • Conwy Castle
  • Bodelwyddan Castle
  • Portmeirion
  • Bodnant Gardens
  • Dyserth Falls

Beaches

  • Llandudno Pier
  • Colwyn Bay
  • Morfa Beach
  • Rhos-on-Sea

Activity

Whilst there is not as many things as a city, Wales still offers some good activities! Please note, you will likely need to drive or get public transport to most things.

  • ZipWorld – outdoors adventure park
  • Pictura Chester – pottery painting
  • River Dee kayaking
  • Welsh Mountain Zoo
  • TenPin Chester – bowling, arcade, lasertag
  • Ice Skating – Deeside Leisure

On calls

Medical on calls

Once weekly frequency, meet in the AMU meeting room for handover.

A weekend on call will have two FY1s available normally you will be split up. One FY1 will take the wards on Saturday and clerk on Sunday, the other FY1 will clerk on Saturday and cover wards on Sunday. During the 9am handover, you will decide between you who will take what.

Surgical on calls

A weekend on call will be 8am-9pm and ward based. You will attend handover at 8am in SDEC then go with the registrar or consultant to do a ward round – sometimes you will see all patients, and sometimes you will see select patients.

Often there are lots of bloods to do – it is really important to determine if these are urgent or not as they will really slow you down. One tip is to look at the last blood results and if there are any abnormalities that need rechecking today, or if this blood can wait for the next day. Generally, INR or vancomycin levels cannot be delayed.