EDITORIAL |
Why I became an occupational physician ...
My reaction on being asked to write about ‘Why I became an occupational physician’ was astonishment that anyone could be interested in my career, followed by a degree of despondency as it felt as if I was being asked to write my own obituary. I asked myself—am I really that old?! Like many other contributors, I can sum up the reasons in two words and those are ‘fortunate chance’. Looking back has made me realize the significant changes in society and medicine during my 37-year career. I came from a very rural area where it was somewhat uncommon for women to study medicine and if married with children, at the very most you would only work part time.I was fortunate to go to King's College, Durham (subsequently the University of Newcastle) with a Department of Industrial Medicine. Undergraduate teaching from Richard Browne and Ian McCallum kindled an interest in the subject reinforced by romantic involvement with an engineering student who also attended the same lectures.
After qualification, I married that same engineering student and entered general practice as this enabled me to continue working while following my husband to various Unilever businesses around the country. At that time, large organizations held the paternalistic view that the wife would always follow the husband! Sleepless nights worrying how I could continue my career following a proposed move to South Africa were unfounded as we were posted instead to St Andrews where I had a mixed portfolio of work in General Practice, Family Planning and in the University Health Service with Inglis Lamont. As a student, I had known Stan Pomford, the Director of the East of Scotland Occupational Health Service and he asked me to provide some help. I immediately took to the variety of activities involved with what was emerging as a new speciality. I vividly remember my ‘light on the road to Damascus’ (in my case the Tay Bridge!) when my husband suggested that I should look to developing my own career. Fortunately, there was a full-time course in Industrial Medicine at the University of Dundee and I joined an excellent group of students including Eric Teasdale and Alan Reid. Following the next move to Chester, I was approached by Ken Lee, the County Medical Adviser for Cheshire and one of the founder members of ALAMA. He proved an exceptional mentor and encouraged me to complete my dissertation and to take over his post when he retired. You could say that the rest is history!!
I have lived through an exciting time with the development of the speciality and in common with many of my illustrious colleagues I have never regretted my move into occupational medicine. It has proved a tailor-made job for me and I have very much enjoyed my career. I am fortunate indeed that I was in the right place at the right time and met exceptional individuals who encouraged me to take advantage of all the opportunities available.
e-mail: Susan.a.robson{at}manchester.ac.uk
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