Junior Doctor Anecdotes: The Thoughtful Security Guard

As part of GP training we have to complete at least 72 hours of out of hours shifts as trainees, and these can include home visits, telephone triaging, or seeing patients with out of hours GP services.

I’ve now completed 42 hours, so I only have 30 left to do, which is quite a good position to be in, thank God! As we can only do these out of hour shifts in GP rotations, I can meet the requirements in my current job, or when I get to ST3, where I will be spending the whole year in one practice.

I did a 12 hour night shift with the home visiting service last night (so much for no more nights lol), but overall it wasn’t too bad – my GP Supervisor and our driver were very nice, so it went quickly.

On my way home from the shift, I found myself thinking of an encounter I had had after one of my previous out of hours shifts. I had finished around midnight and was waiting for my lift home, and was startled by a knock on the sliding doors of the building I was waiting in front of.

I turned around to see a security guard, who immediately apologised for startling me, and told me that he was looking after the building overnight and had seen me on the security camera, so wanted to check I was okay.

I told him I had just finished a shift and was waiting for my Uber to pick me up, to which he replied that he could wait with me if I wanted, as it was dark outside. I thanked him for the offer, and told him it was fine as was my ride was less than 5 minutes away. After confirming that I was okay, he then said that he would be keeping an eye on me on the security cameras with his team until the Uber came, as an added reminder that I wasn’t on my own.

Maybe it was tiredness after the long shift, but this really moved me. It was a much needed reminder that people can be kind and considerate of others, as the security guard could have just ignored me and got on with his job, but he went out of his way to check on me, and kept an eye on me until I was safely on my way home.

2023 has been a year of many highs and some lows, and it can be easy to become cynical and disillusioned by the state of the world. However as we step into 2024, I hope you remember that there is still good in the world, and that a single act of kindness can go a very long way.

Happy new year, everyone, and God bless – here’s to a better 2024.

Reflecting on 2022 and my first 4 months as a GP Trainee

Just over two hours left of 2022, and as I start writing this I am on my break at work. Contrary to what the media might have you believe, the NHS is still pushing on and we’re all doing our best to keep patients safe… but I won’t go into all that in this post.

What I do want to talk about is the importance of kindness, and how that (and the grace of God, ofcourse) have gotten me through a lot of this year.

It’s been quite a year for me too, with some big moves and changes and I’m grateful to God for getting me through to the end of it.

My time in the Emergency Department was draining, but it’s definitely been one of my favourite jobs so far, and that was largely because of the people I worked with. From supportive seniors to hilarious nurses, and colleagues who I can now call friends, as well as the patients who took time out to write me thank you notes and feedback (I cried lol), I really had a great time.

Outside work, I’ve been so blessed by the people around me – from my Model Bestie, who helped make my move to this new city so smooth, to my new friends at church, who insisted on cooking dinner for me during night shifts, and MRCRi, whose home I’ve always felt welcome in, I’ve really felt the love over the last few months.

I want to end this year by reminding anyone reading this that life is so short, and you really have no idea what people are going through. So as clichè and corny as it sounds, just be nice, you know? A kind word can really make someone’s day, so here’s to a 2023 filled with more of these. See you all on the other side!

The Importance of Community

Today was Vision Day for the Young Adults group of my new church, and it was so great getting to know everyone better, learning more about the church’s vision, and praying for each other.

One of the talks from today was about authentic faith and community, especially as a church family, and how this can not only impact our relationships with each other, but also our relationship with God. The speakers talked about how community as Christians is important in keeping us grounded, challenging us, as well as how being there for each other and those around us is a way of showing Christ’s love. It got me thinking about how much my different church communities over the years have helped and supported me, and this goes all the way back to medical school.

My church when I was at university was such a blessing throughout my six years of med school, but 4th year particularly stands out for me. I ran out of money whilst preparing for end of year exams that year, and I didn’t want my family to know that I was struggling. My sister had very kindly paid for the majority of my elective to Cambodia, and my parents were going through a difficult time financially, so I didn’t want to bother them because they’d already done so much for me. But I really was struggling.

I had just about enough money to cover my rent and bills, but this meant I didn’t have enough for a food shop, and I wasn’t concentrating on revising because I was hungry. So after swallowing my pride, I asked the student leaders at my church for a loan to get food, promising to pay them back when I worked in the summer.

They were so SO kind about it all, giving me space to cry because I was really embarrassed, but not once did I feel judged or that they were looking down on me. They told me they would see what they could do and get back to me, and when they did I was absolutely blown away.

You see, that evening, they turned up at my house with bags and bags of food shopping; as in so much that I could barely fit it all in my cupboards. They’d also spoken to the church leadership team who agreed to give me some money to get me to the end of term, in addition to the groceries. Even later that evening, one of the Connect group leaders in church showed up at my house with home cooked meals for me, in case I didn’t have time to prepare food for myself.

I was speechless and just cried tbh, especially because they insisted that I didn’t have to pay any of it back, because that was what the church family was for.

Community, you know? I can give many more examples of how being part of different church families and communities have blessed me over the years but that’ll take too long. So I’d just like to use this opportunity to thank people instead:

Matt, Sara and Aunty Ije, thank you for all your generosity and hospitality when I was a student. Your homes were always such a breath of fresh air from revision and med school stress, and your kindness has always meant so much to me.

Dave, Anne and my CMF family – your encouragement during the start of my foundation years and early COVID lockdown kept me going, and also gave me courage to speak out about the racist microaggressions I was experiencing. Weekly CMF meetings (both in person and when we moved online) made me feel less isolated and alone, and for that I will always be grateful.

Dan and Rachel and my church family – you always went out of your way to check in on me, inviting me for meals and catch ups exactly when I needed to be around people and was missing home/overwhelmed by work. Our life group dinners are some of my fondest memories of my time up north.

I’m so excited to be part of a new church and see what God has in store for me/how I can bless and serve others. Community is so important, and whether or not you’re a Christian, I’d really recommend reaching out to someone who you think might need a friend, or even going out of your way to make someone feel included, because you really have no idea what people are going through – you might just be an answer to someone’s need/prayer.