You’re hot then you’re cold: An IMG’s transition to the UK Foundation Programme
I believe that one of the most powerful things about the UK Foundation Programme is its diversity. I am from the sunny shores of Trinidad and Tobago where I decided to pursue medicine in the greyest and rainiest place in the world…Dublin, Ireland. Turns out that sometimes the coldest places have some of the warmest people. It was there where I first appreciated my home country for its blazing heat. Nonetheless, I fell in love with medicine and the sheer endless possibilities that it creates for those who venture along its path.
I envisioned a career back home and longed to be in the blistering heat again where I could lay on the sandy beaches during my time off work. So I returned home after a gruelling 5 years of medical school. I plunged into uncharted territory again, as I worked in a healthcare system I was not familiar with. The learning curve was steep, but the trade-off was an invaluable clinical experience.
The years went by and I wanted to challenge my career in medicine and deepen my clinical knowledge with a robust training experience. I came across the UK foundation programme as the opportunity to do just that. Five years of postgraduate clinical experience and wanting to start at the bottom of the barrel again? Doing specialties I had not done in years. In a country where the sun only pays infrequent visits. What more adventure could I want? So I set off for the grey and rainy…again, this time with a touch of plaid.
My first rotation found me in Scotland. A small town where the local people swear by having warmer and milder weather due to a “microclimate”. As I arrived in a summer that felt more like autumn, I thought they must have been joking. What I found was a diverse group of people, with fascinating and unexpected backgrounds.
I thought that I came from a vastly different background to most of the doctors I would meet, but I was proven totally wrong by my assumptions. There was a British consultant Paediatrician who worked for several years in Africa and another whose first degree was in music! I was also thoroughly entertained by our Singaporean Consultant who was our in house story-teller.
The small town and hospital fostered a place of support and comradery amongst everyone in the department. This support meant learning in a safe environment where I was free to ask questions and explore all the workings of the NHS. I appreciated being so far away from home, but still being able to have a family. Sometimes, when we first start out on a career in medicine, we have such strong ideas of what and how the path should be like, but often times, the beauty lies in the detours. The lessons we learn from people in unexpected places.
In perfect contrast to my first FY2 rotation, I moved to a bustling city hospital. I thought my experience in the UK couldn’t get any greyer, but then I found myself in the Granite City. Aberdeen. I was a bit concerned whether I would enjoy my next placement in Histopathology. A rather strange specialty for a FY doctor I thought. However, I approached it in the way I tried to approach everything, with an open mind. Again, I discovered interest within a specialty I had no prior intention of doing. I had always been adamant on Neonatology. Now I find myself interested in Post Mortem examinations and diagnosing disease from looking down a microscope! Again, the unexpected surprises of the UKFP!
By exploring things I had never done before, I found myself learning more and more about the breadth of Medicine and all it has to offer. In doing so, I found that no specialty can operate in isolation. Just like no body part can exist without the rest of the body. I suppose my take home message is that this programme has a subtle way of opening doors you didn’t even know existed. The transition from medical school to foundation year, or from one country to another is no easy road, but a journey bursting at the seams with challenges to be explored!
Cherisse Littrean
F2, Scotland Foundation School