Last Day at Burton

I sit here, in the coffee room on Delivery Suite waiting for either an emergency delivery or the opportunity to relieve a desperate woman's labour pain, and reflect on the last 20 months I've spent at Queen's Hospital, Burton on Trent.

I do this because my time here has come to an end. After a late night discussion with one of my Specialist registrar colleagues, I realised that it probably was time to move on to a more complicated, high-paced workload. A pity really, because this place has really suited my Type-B personality.

Since joining Burton, I've moved from a complete novice in Anaesthesia, to being proficient in most areas, and am trusted enough by the bosses to provide Obstetric anaesthetic cover here out of hours. I'm honoured to be honest, to be allowed input for the happiest place in the hospital.

Unfortunately, moving to a new place means being untrusted for some time to come, until my skills have been 'felt out', and I'm allowed to regain the confidence of my new colleagues. I'm moving to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, in Stoke on Trent. I'm told that it's a large hospital, where no one knows each other, you don't get looked in the eye in the corridor, and you rarely get a break, let alone lunch. I sincerely hope that there has been some reporter bias, and the outlook is not quite that bleak!

The move might provide me with the little extra star for my CV to help me get onto the nightmare Specialist Training rotation (see previous post). I will get much more exposure to Trauma, and other more complicated methods of anaesthesia - Cardiothoracics, MaxFax, Neurosurgery, etc. Even the run of the mill stuff can be more complicated. There will no longer be a cap on the how young a child I can gas (previously 5 years). All in all, this place frightens me to the back teeth.

So, looking back at the people I've helped here in Burton, and the wealth of caring and generosity I have received from the staff I realise just how fortunate I have been. Not only did the job come along just at the right moment, when I had no job, and allow Rachel and me to start thinking about starting a family, and provide me with the start in the career I have always wanted, but it has also brought me close to so many people whom I feel I can call friends.

I dearly hope to keep in touch with so many of these wonderful people, and hope to return to them as soon as possible, but I know that realistically, there is a chance that many I may not see again, and this brings a pain to my heart, and a tear to my eye.