“I remember looking up at the air ambulance thinking I’d love to fly with them as a doctor one day and a few years later, I was standing on their helipad about to do it.”
How long have you worked at GNAAS, Dan?
I have worked at GNAAS since September 2022.
Where do you work outside of GNAAS and what is your role?
Outside of the charity, I am an emergency medicine registrar at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle – I have worked there for a year now.
Talk me through your medical career from the beginning up to now?
I went to St. George’s University in London and then joined the Army as a combat medic.
I then went on to do my junior doctor training in Cornwall which I absolutely loved. I was living right beside the sea and surfing all the time, it was really cool.
In 2014, I rejoined the Navy and was deployed as a doctor on ships with the Marines for three years.
I began my emergency medicine training in the North East in 2017 and was in the North East till 2021 until I trained with the Scottish Air Ambulance before going to London HEMS and in 2022, I returned to the North East.
Did you always know you wanted to become a doctor?
No, I actually wanted to be a pilot for a while.
Why did you choose your field of speciailty?
With emergency medicine and HEMS work, you can really make a difference in someone’s journey in those first few minutes or hours after something has happened to them.
It is very satisfying, and it also gives you the opportunity to work all over the world, and it is a role that combines science and people effectively.
What would you have become if you weren’t a doctor?
A mountain guide.
I think that’s what I hope to end up doing eventually.
What do you enjoy most about your roles?
I love when we find out that we made a difference.
It doesn’t actually happen as often as you may think, so when it does – it’s really rewarding.
Also, I love working as part of a team where we are all working together to do complicated procedures but it just flows well and then we find out later it was all worthwhile and our efforts saved the patient’s life.
How do you cope with difficult jobs?
At work, it would be a cuppa and debriefing with the team, but at home, it would be going out for a run with my spaniel.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Walking, running, and climbing.
Advice for your younger self?
If you have a really ‘out there’ ambition that you think you can’t achieve, spend time visualising it and thinking about the steps you need to take to get there, and it’s surprisingly easier than you think.
I remember looking up at the air ambulance, thinking I’d love to fly with them as a doctor one day, and a few years later, I was standing on the helipad about to do it.
What kickstarts your day but not coffee?
My spaniel alarm clock.
If you could live anywhere, where would you be?
New Zealand, definitely.
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