Short Reports |
Why I became an occupational physician ...
In early 1961, I had temporarily abandoned any further attempt to obtain Membership of the Royal College of Physicians as a prelude to a career in psychiatry. I was pregnant and I had a grant from the Imperial Cancer Fund to investigate the diagnosis of breast cancer using radioactive isotopes. Even with this change of direction, a balance between the pressures of academic work and domestic responsibilities was difficult to achieve.The inevitable happened and I became a partner in a unique general practice in Kentish Town. Income was minimal as the practice, motivated by the strong communist ideals of the senior partners, provided, out of income, the services of a nurse and a social worker. I travelled the area in the family car which was a 1934 Park Ward Bentley. On the practice list was a diverse community of Kentish Town working class (predominantly Irish and Cypriot), Hampstead literati, artists including Sidney Nolan and the London members of the Communist Party. It was a hugely enjoyable experience.
On to the scene came Doreen Miller as a trainee attached to one of the senior partners. She was seeking general practice experience as a prelude to becoming a Medical Officer with Marks and Spencer. Up to this point, I had never heard of Industrial Medicine.
After some months Doreen was asked by Marks and Spencer to undertake locum sessions: we shared the sessions. Suddenly we were working in pristine conditions with no financial constraints in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of the staff. As an in-house medical service, it bore little resemblance to today's practice. Part of our role was to select individuals with perfect health and to reject, without explanation, those who did not meet this target. If staff became ill, referrals were made to private consultants, usually without any reference to their own doctors. I found this difficult to accept but enjoyed the ability to get instant advice for patients.
I also enjoyed dealing with general work-related aspects such as food hygiene and health and safety. The requirement to be a jack of all trades particularly appealed to me and suddenly I had found my niche.
I arranged to see Richard Schilling, a delightful and inspiring man. Following my discussions with him, I realized that this was an exciting and developing field of medicine and I determined to pursue it as a career. I obtained the post of Deputy Head of the Medical Service at John Lewis, acquired my Diploma of Industrial Medicine and became a practitioner in the new specialty of occupational medicine. (It is interesting to note that no additional qualifications were required to become a partner in General Practice or a senior post in occupational medicine.)
I became a member of the Occupational Mental Health Discussion Group: 12 young occupational health physicians exchanging information internationally on stress. This interest largely determined the course of my career.
If not for the advent of Doreen would I have become a psychiatrist? How strange that such happenstance can determine our lives.
E-mail: annlmfingret{at}hotmail.com
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||