Working at the William Harvey Hospital was Nav Somasinghe’s first experience of critical care – but she liked it so much she’s now hoping to join the team as a consultant.
Nav, a senior trainee doctor, spent six months on the unit as part of her training and credits the experience with reviving her passion for a medical career.
She said: “When I started here I was a bit disillusioned with medicine and I think I might have left the profession if I hadn’t come here.
“It is a very friendly, very welcoming department with a real collaborative approach between doctors and nurses and the rest of the team.
“The consultants are lovely and supportive and very pro educational activities and training.”
Her background is in renal medicine and she has been working to develop links between the two teams.
She said: “A lot of critical care doctors are also anaesthetists but one of the benefits of this unit is that you get medical trainees coming through who, like me, can enjoy their experience and go on to become intensivists.
“It is busy but I like that because you get good experience and a nice mix of patients.
“As a senior trainee, I have a certain amount of autonomy but I know the consultants are always there if I need them. They are fantastic at tailoring their approach to the needs of the trainees and they really take the time to get to know you.
“It’s the ideal unit to learn in and develop your own practice, and it is one of the friendliest places I have ever worked.”
A new, purpose-built, critical care unit is due to open at the hospital this year, with a dedicated simulation suite to enhance the training on offer.
Nav said: “We also have great links with the Kent and Medway Medical School which is another bonus of working here.
“There are real opportunities for career development, and it’s a great area to live in as well with a nice balance of the countryside and the coast within reach, and easy access to London on the high-speed train.
“There are so many positives and I can’t imagine working anywhere else.”
