Career Story: ICM and Emergency Medicine

We are the regional specialist centres for Infectious Disease, Acute Pancreatitis, Hepatobiliary Surgery, Upper gastrointestinal Surgery and Thrombotic Thrombocytopaenic Purpura (TTP). We also provide critical care support to our neighbouring hospitals such as the Liverpool Women’s Hospital and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

Besides critical care, I also work one day a week as an EM consultant in a very busy Emergency Department. I spent most of my EM shift in the Resuscitation area where I could utilise my critical care skills to provide comprehensive care to critically ill patients. My intensive care background has enabled me to initiate critical care management and to discuss appropriate level of care with patients and their family members early, as well as expediting ICU admissions wherever necessary.

Additional roles outside of clinical work

Since embarking on the consultant career, I developed great interest in Quality Improvement and Change Management in Health Care; with an aim to provide excellent quality care to patients. Locally, I have assumed the role of Quality Improvement (QI) and Audit Lead of my Critical Care Directorate since October 2020. In this role, I have gained invaluable experience in planning and leading several QI projects. This has also given me a great opportunity to work collaboratively with other health care professionals e.g., Nurses, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dieticians and Pharmacists, and to engage their involvement in QI projects. With my multi-disciplinary team approach, we have successfully completed numerous projects, some of which have revolutionised our current practice. Recently, I have also taken up the regional role of being the Chair of Quality Improvement Group of Cheshire and Mersey Critical Care Network (CMCCN). I feel that my strong inter-personal skills would drive any regional agenda forwards.

Despite the heavy clinical commitments, I have maintained my strong passion in Medical Education. I hold the role of Careers and Clinical Fellows Lead of the Trust since 2021. I lead a team to provide career advice and support to junior doctors, develop career hub websites, whilst providing pastoral care and enhanced induction to the International Medical Graduates who are working within the hospital.

I also hold the position of the Undergraduate Year 2 Lead of the hospital. I organise and coordinate Second Year Medical Students schedule to ensure that they have a supportive learning environment during their hospital rotations. I work collaboratively with a team of sub-dean, educational supervisors, and staff at the University of Liverpool; and found it very rewarding when positive training feedback were received.

In addition to the above roles, I have been a Medical Examiner since 2022. My role as a Medical Examiner gives me the opportunity to gain a better understanding of registration of death as well as the investigative procedure by a coroner. I am also a trained Medical Appraiser which enables me to conduct appraisals for our locally employed doctors.

Work-life balance

With some time-management skills, I have managed to pick up some hobbies which helps to release pressures from work. I have started learning to play acoustic guitars which I very much enjoy and look forward to branching into electric guitars. I also enjoy gardening (weather permitting!) and reading a wide variety of books. With the benefit of annualization rota, my wife and I go on holidays abroad annually.

All in all, it is an absolutely privilege for me to work in these two established departments in the hospital. This invaluable ‘hybrid’ job plan has allowed me to establish good relationship and build networks with a wide range of specialties within the hospital and have made my job far more interesting. I would therefore encourage my EM trainees to consider applying for a dual-CCT with ICM.